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14
Sonne
Dysentery
dysentery, particularly that type of dysentery caused by the
Shigella sonnei (Sonne dysentery). This accounts for the
frequency of its occurrence in children of infant school age.
There is little doubt that a high proportion of Sonne dysentery
in this age group is due to those children who came to school
with diarrhoea. The explosive stool spreads widely over the
W.C. bowl and a fine film of bacteria — containing water
droplets is deposited on the undersurface of the lavatory seat.
Mothers (and fathers) of young children will know that their
children often sit gripping the edge of the lavatory seat. An
investigation into further activities, confirmed by cinematography
some years ago, shows that a high proportion of such children
managed to put their fingers in or near their mouths at some
stage of the procedure. Additionally, hands infected by the
organism touch the toilet roll, sometimes the toilet roll holder,
the handle of the lavatory chain and the door handle, all
potential hazards for the next user.
From there on, it is a clear case of person-to-person transmission
to brothers and sisters and parents.
Preventive
Measures
Preventive measures are imperfect in the absence of an
antibiotic which will kill the organism. Many antibiotics have
been tried and all have had only partial success. An epidemic
of Sonne dysentery will have a natural end, but it is possible
to hasten this by certain measures, as exemplified by the outbreak
at Chadwell Infants and Junior Mixed Schools during the
year.
It became apparent during May that a large number of
children were absent on account of diarrhoea. A number were
attending school suffering from this condition. Immediately
those in the acute phase of the disease were suspended and
measures were taken to improve the hygiene of the children.
Frequent swabbings with disinfectant of the W.C. bowls, seats
and handles were instituted and most important, the opportunity
was taken to push home health education on the importance of
hand washing and general hygiene by the Health Education
Officer and a Senior Public Health Inspector. Children at this
age are very impressionable and often act as proselytes in their
home environment.
In cases like this the school lavatories often came in lor
a lot of uninformed criticism, especially if the school is an
old one. While it is true that lavatories often act as vehicles
of infection in Sonne dysentery, the main vehicle is the age
group of the children involved, and in the absence of suitable
instrnction the disease will spread regardless of the condition