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16
the infectious disease physicians, the senior administrative
nursing staff, physiotherapists and engineers protective clothing
was worn (cap mask, gown and boots) Pood was supplied in
destructible containers and all combustible material was removed
to the incinerator in bins on a trolley reserved for the purpose
On 1st July a further ward was prepared to receive staff with
vaccination reactions and doubtful illnesses requiring isolation
and investigation This proved a valuable adjunct and during the
fourteen days it remained open 8 cases were admitted
St Ann's is a general hospital of 520 beds, of which 120
form an infectious diseases unit There is normally considerable
interchange of staff both between this unit and other departments
and between the hospital and the other hospitals in the group
By re allocation of duties it was readily possible to avoid or
reduce such interchange to the minimum but the situation within
St Ann's Hospital of the central laundry for the whole group gave
rise to much concern It was found that no articles used by m B
had been sent for laundering, and it was therefore decided to
maintain the existing laundry services, save that the zone set
aside for smallpox contacts would be provided with a washing
machine for each ward
No material therefore left the smallpox zone other than that
destined for the incinerator
The closure of the group laundry would have caused considerable
disruption in the work of all the contributing hospitals, so
much so that the Group Laundry Manager (Mr CH Adams) subsequently
followed up the matter elsewhere, with the co-operation of
one of us (CGN) and we understand that it is possible to hire
military mobile laundry units of varying capacities to meet such
an emergency
It would appear that the precautions taken were adequate, for
there was no secondary case in the hospital or within the group,
and with the uneventful effluxion of the sixteen days surveillance
it was possible to determine all isolation measures on the 15th
July,
Reporting of outbreak
During the afternoon of the first day His Worship the Mayor
and the Chairman of the Health Committee (Alderman R,H Warren)
were informed of the action being taken An official telegram
was sent to the Ministry of Health confirming the earlier telephone