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SOME OBSERVATIONS ON AN OUTBREAK OF INFECTIOUS HEPATITIS OCCURRING IN A LARGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Author(s) -
Ford F.,
Rogers P. S.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1970.tb77888.x
Subject(s) - outbreak , toilet , tap water , transmission (telecommunications) , hand washing , environmental health , hepatitis a , medicine , virology , hygiene , hepatitis , environmental science , engineering , environmental engineering , telecommunications , pathology
An outbreak of infectious hepatitis occurring In a large primary school was investigated. Most cases occurred in the junior school. The suggestion is made that the method of transmission was the lack of washing of hands after defalcation, the faeces (plus virus) being smeared on “bubble‐type” taps with the hand, and the mouth then being applied to the tap to obtain a drink. This method of “cleaning” the top of the tap was found to be almost universal. The further suggestion is made that the reason why most cases occurred in the younger (that is, the smaller) children was that the height of the tap necessitated a mouth‐to‐metal contact for them to be able to obtain a drink. Other factors were the dirty state of the toilets and the lack of toilet paper, soap and towels.