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School trip sick bug
THREE Barnsley pupils are recovering after contracting dysentery on a school trip to the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset.
Two of the youngsters from Barugh Green Primary were so ill they had to spend several days in hospital, after suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and fever.
All three are now recovering at home after being diagnosed with shigella dysentery, which led to an inspection of the school by the Health Protection Agency, who advised it should stay open.
But headteacher Mike Gilmour decided to close the school to Year 6 pupils and their siblings for 48 hours as a precaution.
Andrew Bray, of Welland Court, Barugh Green, said his 11-year-old daughter Grace was fine when she came home but fell seriously ill two days later.
"We knew one of the other girls on the trip had been sick so we telephoned her mum and it turned out her daughter was in hospital," he said.
"We telephoned the NHS and they told us to take Grace straight to hospital.
"The school trip was our obvious first thought as to the cause but since we have spoken to the HPA and they don't know the source."
Grace lost half a stone and was in hospital for five days, where she was assessed, rehydrated and put on a drip.
Shigella dysentery can be contracted by drinking contaminated water or eating food which has been washed with it.
It was the cause of thousands of deaths in the 19th century and affected soldiers in the First World War but now it is comparatively rare.
Dr Rosy McNaught, from South Yorkshire's Health Protection Unit, said she had been working with Barnsley Council to investigate the three cases.
"We worked closely with parents of pupils to gather information to try to identify any possible common source of the infection," she said.
"A common source was not identified and it most likely the infection was passed from person to person."
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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