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Infective Jaundice
By the end of March eleven children and one member of the
kitchen staff at a school in the Borough had contracted infective
jaundice. All the children in the class mainly concerned, were offered
a protective inoculation with Gamma Globulin and twenty parents
accepted. The inoculation was given on 27th March and the only other
case at the school, which occurred three days later, was obviously
being incubated at the time of the inoculation.
Dysentery in Schools in the Area
Following the absence, with enteritis, of a catering assistant at
a school in early March, her family was investigated and her daughter
was found to be infected with sonné dysentery. Enquiries were made
at the school and seven other children were also found to be infected.
Routine investigation of the associated families brought to light
another four cases. Most of the cases were cleared by the end of
March though one child continued positive until 21st April. More
than 100 specimens were taken before the outbreak ended.
In mid-May news was received from a Departmental Medical
Officer of a number of absences at a school due to diarrhoea. An investigation
was started immediately and five days later the number of
absentees had risen to 80, of whom 41 were confirmed cases of dysentery.
It was therefore decided to close the school for the three days
remaining before the half-term holidays in order to help to contain
the outbreak. All positive cases and their contacts were excluded from
school until clear and local hospitals, local doctors and Medical Officers
of Health of neighbouring boroughs were informed of the outbreak.
In all, 109 positive cases were found among pupils of the school and
their families. Special cleansing was carried out and some drinking
taps were re-sited.
It is gratifying to be able to think that by prompt action the
outbreak was quickly contained. On 3rd June, ten cases were already
cleared and no new cases were notified after 11th June, by which
time 49 children had been cleared for return to school. The majority
of the excluded children were back at school by early June, though
one case continued until 25th August.
In all, 61 families comprising 340 persons were investigated and
more than 1,100 specimens were taken before the outbreak ended.
Following the outbreak previously mentioned it was necessary
to keep a close check for possible cases of dysentery in all other
primary schools in the Borough. 202 persons connected with 16
schools were investigated, two cases of food poisoning infection and
14 cases of dysentery being brought to light. The majority of the
cases discovered cleared quickly but one or two dragged on, the last
being cleared on 26th August. 362 specimens were taken.
Enteritis in a Primary School
In mid-October two of the kitchen staff and six children at a
local primary school suffered symptoms of enteritis. Specimens all
proved negative and the outbreak was quickly over.
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