T.B. IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 9 June 1927, Page 6

T.B. IN SCHOOL CHILDREN

IMPORTANT INVESTIGATIONS "An inquiry which has beeh'earried but by the Board of Health is one into the incidence 'of'tuberculosis in school children," said the Deputy Director-General of Health at Wellington. This was carried out by Drs. Mary Champtaloup and Eleanor Baker McLaglan, of the school medical staff. The method adopted was briefly as follows. The consent of the parents was obtained and then a harmloss test was applied in certain standard schools taking in town and country alike tn determine tlio incidence of infection with tuberculosis. It was found that infection was less amongst Now Zealand school children, than amongst the children of the older countries, that Maoris wei'fi infected to a greater extent than whites and that town children were infected io a greater extent than country children. Following upon this test every attempt.was made to determine whether active disease, was or was not present. In Wellington, for instance, all the. positive reactors were sent to the Public Hospital, where they were given expert- examination by a radiologist and specialist in tuberculosis. As a result of these examinations certain children were found to be suffering from definite tuberculosis, and were admitted to sanatoria. In other cases the children were followed up to their homes and advice, was given the parents in the direction of proper habits, open-air life, proper dietary, etc., which would tend to prevent the disease from developing."