A Mild Outbreak of Tuberculosis in a Large Ontario Office

¹ Gage Institute Chest Clinic.

This report contains the findings to date in a group of approximately 1200 office employees where a case of far-advanced tuberculosis was discovered at the end of December 1952.

Definite contact was established for 11 months, and during the following 18 months, 12 additional cases of tuberculosis emerged. In four no relationship with the earlier cases could be established. In two of these four cases, it seemed likely that exposure had occurred from known outside sources while in two it was impossible to determine any likely source of infection.

The patients ranged in age from 21 to 36 years. Seven including the original occurred in males and six in females.

The first patient to be discovered had far-advanced disease. The subsequent cases consisted of one moderately advanced, seven minimal, and four of pleurisy with effusion. Pleurisy with effusion occurred in two males and two females.

With no further cases emerging, it is felt that adequate control will now be provided by making chest films of all new employees promptly, regular chest films of known contacts, and a continuation of the original programme of mass surveys at two-year intervals.