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Food Poisoning.
5 cases were notified during the year. 1 case was treated
in hospital.
Malaria.
1 case was notified during the year.
Dysentery.
Outbreak of Dysentery at an Infants School.
On 10th May, 1961, the Head Teacher of this school
reported that a number of children were away from school
with vomiting and diarrhoea. An immediate visit to the
school was made by the Chief Public Health Inspector and
myself and a full investigation carried out.
Dysentery in infant schools is generally spread among
the children by hand to mouth infection, the latter occurring,
primarily, in the use of toilets and the subsequent contamination
of articles used in common by the children, e.g. lavatory
seats, lavatory chains, towels, door knobs, pencils, books and
so on. Once dysentery takes hold of a young community of
this kind it can be a matter of considerable difficulty to
eradicate it.
The use of roller towels was discontinued and special
attention was paid to the cleansing of toilets, floors, etc. The
staff were instructed to ensure that the children washed their
hands carefully after the use of the toilets—a matter of some
difficulty where such young children are concerned. In addition,
faecal (stool) specimens were taken from all children
(250) and every member of the staff in the school and sent
to the Public Health Laboratory at Maidstone. All children
and staff showing clinical symptoms of the disease were
excluded from school and this applied, also, to all those
whose specimens were found to contain dysentery germs.
In all, 104 children and two members of the staff were
excluded and the investigation was carried outwards into the
families concerned, specimens being taken from all members
of the families concerned and any outside contacts. In all.
over 1,000 faecal specimens were taken and examined
and this involved a good deal of work in the distribution
of outfits, collection of specimens and delivery to the laboratory.
Full information was, also, supplied to general practitioners
in the area and a large number of queries were dealt
with from parents, doctors and others. Repeated specimens
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