One girl complains of a sore arm, but it’s smiles all round

AS the screening of 220 pupils and teachers from Ballintemple National School began, there was no sense of panic at St Finbarr’s hospital.

Shortly after 11am two happy-go-lucky pre-teens ambled nonchalantly out of the chest clinic. Minutes later they were joined by a clutch of giggling girls, along with a teacher, and maybe a parent, all appearing oblivious to the potential seriousness of the situation, laughing and chattering as though on a routine school trip.

The girls were attending the clinic as part of a mass screening process at the school known locally as Crab Lane, just a short drive from the hospital, following a TB outbreak.

It’s certainly not what they expected to be doing, just a week before heading back to school, but the 10-minute, or so, probe is over and they stroll out, not a care in the world, perhaps looking forward to an extra week off.

One girl complains of a sore arm, another clutches hers, but they are all still smiling. There is no sense of panic, no mad rush, and it could be just another ordinary day at the clinic.

Since news of the outbreak broke last Friday, when it emerged three children attending the Ballintemple National School, Cork, were diagnosed with TB, the HSE has been quick to allay fears. But it still has not located the source of the outbreak, 13 days after the second case came to light. Yesterday, there was no sign of life at the Crab Lane school, but Denis O’Sullivan, school principal, said the school was working hard with the HSE to get everyone screened over the next two weeks so they could return to school with clean bills of health.

Mr O’Sullivan moved to ease concerns saying “all the school’s efforts and energies” were directed towards working with the HSE and resolving the situation with the assistance of the health services. He said he had the “utmost confidence” that the problem would be successfully resolved.

He said the HSE was in regular contact with parents by letter informing them of what was happening. “I have confidence that we, along with Dr Margaret O’Sullivan and the HSE, will deal with the situation appropriately.”

The screening, for children and adults, involves clinic attendances with questionnaire completion, administration of a Mantoux skin test (a simple test on the arm, which requires reading 48-72 hours later) and a chest X-ray, if required.