HEALTH HINTS. SCARLET FEVER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7395, 22 February 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

HEALTH HINTS. SCARLET FEVER.

HOW IT IS SPREAD; HOW TO \ PREVENT IT SPREADING. (By O. M. Mason, M.D., Chief Health [ Officer.) Scarlet fever, or scarlatina, is an infectious or "catching" disease, and as such can be communicated by those sick of it to the healthy. It is a fever that is liable to attack people of all ages, but children under fifteen years of age especially catch it. j It is not a necessary- disease, but a | disease that can and should be prevented. Symptoms. — In a child, the first symptom of scarlet fever is usually vomiting, accompanied by a sensation of dullness; but very often a sore throat is the first thing complained of. About the second day oi 1 the illness a red rash, is noticed, particularly about the upper part of the body; it rarely attacks the face. Like other diseases of an infectious nature, the attack may be so mild as to escape detection until the skin begins to peel; even in such mild cases the fever may leave aftereffects, such as inflammation of the kidneys, and dropsy, discharge from the ears, and; deafness. It sometimes causes a permanent weakness of the heart. Infection. — The disease is spread by means of germs given off from a person suffering- from scarlet fever, during the whole i period of his illness; in the first stages chiefly by the breath, skin, j and discharges, but later by the particles of dried skin, which are shed in peeling. It is said that the throat will give off the infection in very late stages of the disease. Now*, these germs do not die when they leave the body, but remain active for many years. They are especially liable to remain in the room which has been occupied by a person sick of the disease; hence the importance of careful disinfection. The germs may also contaminate food — especially milk, which is a very favourable vehicle for the poison. Prevention. — The foregoing remarks are intended to show how i the fever is likely to spread when once introduced intoi a community, especially if there be a large proportion of young children. When recognised as scarlet fever, the fact | should be immediately notified to the local authority, so that they may not only adopt measures to prevent the spread of the disease, but give material assistance to the parents of the children attacked. The chief) safeguards against the spread of scarlet fever are: (1) Prompt isolation of the patient; (2) thorough disinfection. Disinfection. — This is best accomplished in a special hospital, but, in the event of this not being possible, the sick-room should be prepared in the following manner: — All superfluous articles of- furniture and dress, such, as chests of j drawers, pictures, books, curtain??, carpets, etc., should be removed from the room, which should be, where possible, a large airy apartment. No one but those in necessary attenrtj ance on the sick should be allowe-l to enter this room, and they again should not mix with the rest of the household. All discharges from the inose and throaft, and all excreta, etc., should be thoroughly disinfected before} being taken from th-? room, the best disinfectant for such .being carbolic acid, jCalvert's No. 5, half a pint to a gallon of water. All articles anyway) in contact with the patient should be disinfected. On recovery a pa(tienf should have carbolic baths to remove the scales, and the skin should be carefully washed and smeared with some antiseptic vaseline in order to prevent the loose particles of skin from being detached and blown about. A room recently vacated by , a person who has suffered from scarlet fever requires careful disinfection, as the infected particles cling with greater pertinacity to the Avails, ceilings, and furniture than the infective products of almost any other diseases. Isolation. — Other precautions to prevent the spread of the disease arc very necessary. All food should be brought to the door of the sickroom and left there until taken in by the nurse. Those engaged! in nursing the sick should not be allowed to have anything to do, directly or indirectly, with the preparation of food and drink outside the sickroom, t Children must not attend 1 school from an infected house. They should remain away for at least six weeks after the recovery of the patient. Parents and guardians of children should warn them not to play with children from an 'infected house. During an- epidemic of scarlet fever all eases of "sore" throat should be looked upon with suspicion, and treated accordingly.

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