[Report 1967-1968] / School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough.

  • Reading (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1968
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1967-1968] / School Medical Officer of Health, Reading County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    if at all possible. Otherwise the great potential of the programme may not fully be achieved. The school dental sei’vices made encouraging progress in 1967, with the provision of some new facilities and with a dental health education cam¬ paign. Rate of progress slowed in 1968 but the output of work done has been increased by the introduction of evening sessions. The most alarming occurrence in the infectious diseases field was in 1967 and was an outbreak of tuberculosis at a primary school. The chance observation that two unrelated children in the same class at school were under the care of the chest clinic led to a full investigation of the school. A member of staff was found to have active tuberculosis, and a large number of the children produced evidence of exposure to infection and required therapy and close observation. The failure to notice a high rate of positives to skin testing in the B.C.G. scheme arose from the lack of analysing these results by primary school attended. This must be done in future as long as it is advisable to B.C.G. vaccinate children at secondary school age. One further important point must be added, and that is the real necessity for all those in contact with children to undertake a regular chest x-ray: a new system has been introduced with a clearer follow-up arrangement. Finally, it must be said that despite the con¬ siderable disturbance and anxiety created by this situation, the headteacher and her staff, the parents and indeed the pupils themselves, all co-operated to the full and with a calmness for which the health department staff were grateful. The importance of health education in schools has been accepted by both Education and Health committees, and a joint development plan has been approved in principle, awaiting now the necessary finance. In the meantime, the Family Care Certificates scheme, organised in several schools in co-operation with the Adviser in Home Economics, continues to point the way for future action. It is always greatly pleasing to include in this report details supplied by the School Meals and Physical Education organisers. Their steady contribution to health is of course considerable. It is good to note the expansion of swimming facilities in the town. During 1967, Dr. Ethel Fisher accepted the post of senior medical officer responsible for the day to day running of the school health service and brings to this new challenge her exceptionally wide local experience. There has always been a close and rewarding relationship between the school health service and the schools we are anxious to serve. This is due to the efforts of teachers and staff, but is greatly encouraged by the willing co-operation of the Chief Education Officer and his central department. To him and his colleagues, I would like to express the grati¬ tude of the school health staff. This report is experimental in that it covers a two-year period, and