[Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Ogmore & Garw U.D.C.

  • Ogmore & Garw (Wales). Urban District Council.
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Ogmore & Garw U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Type of Disease.—The disease was of mild type : the symp- toms lasted about four days and then subsided, leaving no after effects. No complications were noted. Relapse occurred in a few instances. The number of deaths up to December 31st was 15, the ages being under 1 year, 7 ; from 1 to 5 years, 5 ; from 5 to 15 years, 1 ; from 45 to 65 years, 1 ; over 65 years, 1. The deaths are equivalent :o a rate of 0'5 per 1000 of the population. 6. Origin of Outbreak.—From a consideration of the fore- going data the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the infection was water-borne, and that it arose from a specific con- tamination of one of the streams supplying the Fairy Glen intake. My reasons for arriving at this conclusion are :—■ (1) The distribution of the cases, the heaviest incidence occurring in houses situated nearest the supply. (2) All the earlier cases of the disease were confined to the area which obtained its water from the Fairy Glen source. My reasons for concluding that the contamination occurred at the source itself, and that the water in the main was not contaminated by sewage are :~ (a) The heaviest incidence occurred in those houses which obtained their supply from the main before any sewage contamination could have occurred. (b) The fact that where the sewer crosses the water main it does so at such a depth that communication between them would be impossible. 7. Steps Taken to Limit Spread of Infection.— (1) Warning notices through the medium of posters, handbills, and the cinema. (2) Disinfection of the mains by chlorination. (3) Change of site of intake. (4) Exclusion of children from infected homes from school.