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42
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In October, however, there was a slight outbreak at the Convent
of the Sacred Heart, and the following report with reference to it was
presented to the Public Health Committee on the 20th October.
OUTBREAK OF SCARLET FEVER AT THE CONVENT OF
THE SACRED HEART, WEST HILL, WANDSWORTH.
I have to report on the occurence of an outbreak of Scarlet Fever
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, West Hill, Wandsworth.
Six notifications were received on the 3rd October, and the same
evening all were removed to hospital. On calling at the Convent, I
was informed by the Mother Superior that she had no doubt that the
source of infection of five of the cases was M. C., aged 15, who came
from Bognor on the 5th September, sickened with sore throat on the
11th, but was not seen by their Medical Attendant till the 18th. On
that date, as she seemed quite well, she was allowed to come back to
her dormitory and mix with the other girls. On the 30th five of the
girls sickened and were seen by the Medical Attendant on the 2nd
October, who notified the cases at once. He examined M. C. at the
same time, and found she was peeling on feet and hands. On the 4th,
one case; on the 5th, two cases; on the 10th, one case; on the 12th,
two cases; on the 13th, one case; and on the 17th, four cases were
notified: a total of 17 cases. 41 of the pupils and students returned
to their homes on the 7th October, but owing to the occurence of four
cases on the 17th, the managers of the school decided to close the
Centre altogether, and the rest of the students and pupils have also
returned home. The names and addresses of these have been
forwarded to me, and I have communicated with the Medical Officers
of Health of the districts where they reside.
The patients affected did not at any time come into contact with
the scholars in the day school, and no cases have occurred among the
day scholars.
The sanitary arrangements of the premises are very satisfactory,
as the whole system was overhauled quite recently.
There is no doubt that the cause of the whole outbreak was the
presence in the school of an unrecognised case.