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Report on Poliomyelitis among members of the Nursing Staff
at Wanstead Hospital.
On 26th July, a sister in charge of a medical ward at Wanstead
Hospital (Sister T.) became ill. On 29th July she was transferred to
Ilford Isolation Hospital as a suspected case of Poliomyelitis, this
diagnosis being subsequently confirmed.
On 29th July a student nurse (Nurse O.) on the same ward became
ill, showing signs of weakness and paralysis. She was transferred to
Ilford Isolation Hospital on the following day and notified as a case
of paralytic Poliomyelitis.
At this stage the Ministry of Health was informed and every
possible effort made to trace the source of infection which, it was
believed, was from within the ward concerned. During the incubation
period none of the patients had shown symptoms which
could have been attributed to Poliomyelitis, apart from one baby
who had been nursed by both Sister T. and Nurse O. This child
had been transferred to the London Hospital on 23rd July and had
died on the 26th July. Enquiries from the London Hospital showed
it most improbable that the child had been the source of infection.
All admissions to the ward concerned were stopped at once,
and, on the advice of the Ministry, it was decided not to discharge
any cases for the time being.
On 7th August, after consultation with the Ministry, it was
decided that the embargo on discharges should be lifted, but that
each patient discharged should be reported to the Medical Officer
of Health of the district concerned and be kept under surveillance
for a period of three weeks from the date of discharge.
On the same day another student nurse (Nurse S.) was admitted
to Ilford Isolation Hospital for investigation and subsequently
notified as a case of paralytic Poliomyelitis.
On 10th August, Sister O, a sister tutor, became ill and was
admitted to Ilford Isolation Hospital on the same day. After a
period of observation she was diagnosed as paralytic Poliomyelitis
on 17th August, the infection being less severe than that of the
previous cases. It was found that Sister O had been in contact with
Nurse O on or about 29th July.
No further cases took place among the nursing staff, but a nonresident
ward maid, residing in the Chigwell area, was admitted
to the Isolation Hospital on 18th August and on 24th August was
notified as non-paralytic Poliomyelitis.
On 19th August, Medical Officers of the Ministry of Health
visited the hospital.
No further cases took place, the outbreak being confined to
members of the staff, none of the patients having been infected.
Sister T, Nurse O and Nurse S were transferred to the Royal
National Orthopaedic Hospital at the end of September for orthopaedic
treatment. Sister O was discharged from hospital on 7th
September and was able to resume full duties at Wanstead Hospital
later in the year.
Sister T, Nurse O, and Nurse S all had a moderately severe
degree of paralysis. Despite this at the time of writing, all three
are back on duty at Wanstead Hospital. Sister T and Nurse S are
performing full duties and Nurse O is doing part-time work.
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