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Other possible bacterial causes were also considered in addition
to food poisoning, although the clinical picture was not really
suggestive of these possibilities.
Public Health Inspectors visited fifty-eight homes of patients in
the district and made relevant enquiries. Thirty-three samples of
faeces and one sample of vomit were obtained from patients and sent
for bacteriological tests, together with specimens of school milk
and the specimen school meal from 22 March which had been retained
in the kitchen according to the usual practice in ILEA schools.
The water supply to this school was also analysed bactericlogically
and chemically by the Metropolitan Water Board. All bacteriological
and chemical tests carried out proved to be negative. Six samples
of faeces were sent for virology tests and results were negative.
However, this did not exclude a viral origin to the outbreak, as it
is only occasionally that the causative virus can be isolated in
occurrences of this sort. Further enquiries in neighbouring
schools and among the general public in the area revealed that a
number of sporadic cases of similar symptomatology had occurred in
the district over the past few weeks.
It was finally concluded that the outbreak was probably viral in
origin although no fully satisfactory theory had been propounded to
explain the occurrence of such a large number of cases
simultaneously. No further cases were reported after 27 March 1972.
The Medical Officer of Health acknowledges with thanks the
cooperation of the ILEA, the Metropolitan Water Board, the staffs
of the Southern Region Public Health Laboratory at Hither Green
Hospital, and of the Virology Department at County Hall. Family
doctors in the district were circularised with information
throughout and details were also given informally to the
Department of Health.
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