[Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Anglesey County Council.

  • Anglesey (Wales). County Council. no2003102100.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / School Medical Officer of Health, Anglesey County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    34/42 (page 30)
    is compatible with the concept of the senior school being a potent focus in disseminating the epidemic. Age Incidence: In order to derive from the school registers the numbers of children affected by the epidemic the incidence of absence spells” was ascertained. By absence spell” is meant a period of absence lasting four or more consecutive days. This criterion was adopted because of the disturbing effect on school attendance of one or more days of severely inclement weather. For example, November 10th was a very wet and stormy day and the attendance at every school through- out the county was affected to a greater or lesser extent on that day. The data for school Children of all ages in Amlwch and Llangefni are shown in Table 3. These are absence spells per thousand at risk during the six weeks ended 2nd December when the epidemic was virtually over in these two areas. TABLE 3. Age Incidence of Absence Spells. Spells of absence lasting 4 or more days during 6 weeks ending 2nd December, 1954, per 1,000 at risk. Age in Area: Class. years Amlwch Llangefni Infants Under 7 43.7 52.6 Standard 1—2 7—9 50.0 54.1 Standard 3—4 9—11 57.0 66.7 Forms I—^II 11—13 68.6 77.8 Forms III—IV 12—14 65.1 63.2 Form V— 14—16 52.9 47.4 Form VI 15—18 36.4 31.2 The pattern is similar in the two areas. There was a maximum incidence of absence at ages 11 to 13, i.e.. Forms I and II in the county secondary schools. On either side of this age range the absence spells appeared to diminish until they were comparatively low at either end of the range, i.e., under the age of 7 in the infant schools and over the age of 15 in the secondary schools. This differential age incidence is also evident in Fig. Ill where the percentage of children absent on each day is indicated by form for the Llangefni schools. The junior forms in the county secondary school were the first affected and they were the most severely hit. Subsequently Forms III and IV in the county secondary school were affected but to a lesser extent. Primary school children and senior children in the county secondary schools were affected later still and even less severely.