SICKNESS AMONG THE CHILDREN.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 93, 1 April 1911, Page 4

SICKNESS AMONG THE CHILDREN.

At the present time scarlatina is far too prevalent in Hastings, it being alleged that as many as twenty in every hundred children are absent from the District High | School owing to the outbreak. The j school authorities state that there j is no likelihood of the school being I closed unless the attendance is re- | duced to less than 50 per cent. ?f \ the number on the roll. At first j sight it may appear to be wrong to i congregate the children in school when infectious disease is rampant, but it is stated to be the right thing to do in towns, that is if the schools are under proper management. The given reason is that in the schools the children are under control, while if free to roam the town they would probably associate with their mates who are on the sick-list, more likely still, who have brothers and sisters down with the feier. The object then, in keeping the school open, is to segregate infected families from healthy families, and if parents who are unforl tunate enough to have scarlatina ; in their homes keep all their children from attending school, the danger of the disease • spreading will be lessened by the school remaining open. The main point is for infected families to keep as secluded as possible. As far as we can gather, the source of the disease has not been located. It is - at times like these that we feel the f want of a health officer.