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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEYS
During the year, two epidemiological surveys were carried
out, details of which are given below:—
1. Survey at Secondary Boys' School
A survey was conducted in June, 1965, on the admission of a
pupil to hospital suffering from tuberculosis. With the notification
of a member of the teaching staff in September, 1965, as suffering
from infectious tuberculosis, a second limited survey became necessary.
On the advice of the Chest Physician arrangements were made
in February, 1966, with parental consent for all pupils in attendance
who were not known positive reactors to a tuberculin skin test to be
so tested, and subsequendy in March, 1966, for positive reactors from
these tests to be chest X-rayed together with those already known to
be positive reactors and members of the teaching and ancillary staffs.
Three hundred and twenty-nine pupils were skin tested and 35
proved positive. Six were already under chest clinic supervision and
were not included in the survey.
In March, 1966, the Surrey Mass X-ray Unit attended the school
and 419 boys were chest X-rayed including the 35 positive reactors
from the skin tests. Six boys were referred to the chest clinic for
further investigation but none subsequently showed evidence of
tuberculosis.
There were 76 teaching and ancillary staff of whom 54 were
X-rayed, all with satisfactory results.
The parents of all pupils who were absent or who failed to reply
to the survey notice or who sent refusals were advised of the importance
of chest X-ray examinations and were sent details of public mass
X-ray sessions for their children to attend.
No further cases of tuberculosis were discovered at the school
following the above measures.
2. Survey at Primary School
In December, 1965, a teacher employed on the staff of a primary
school was notified as a case of pulmonary tuberculosis and the Chest
Physician advised that an epidemiological survey should be conducted
to establish whether any other cases existed at the school and the
spread (if any) of infection.
The parents of all children attending the school were notified
of the proposal to conduct a survey and the opportunity for children
to be included was extended to those who had been transferred to
other schools in the area since the teacher commenced at this primary
school.
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