PRELUDE TO THE STORM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 49, 7 December 1948, Page 3

PRELUDE TO THE STORM

Mild Influenza Cases EPIDEMIC OUTBREAK “OVERDUE” (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright) (Rec. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 6. Another epidemic of the influenza scourge, which has baffled doctors and scientists for 500 years, may be imminent, according to medical authorities all over the world. The British Medical Association believes that this epidemic is “overdue.” The spokesman of the B.M.A. stated: “We expected an outbreak some months ago. It usually begins with a small number of mild cases, and doctors are pretty -worried because they believe that the recent spate of mild cases in Britain is a prelude to the storm. If the National Health Services can survive such an outbreak they will survive anything.” Dr. Van Den Berg, Director of Public Health to the Dutch Government, forecast such an epidemic more than a year ago, when he expressed the opinion that influenza epidemics—epidemics on a world-wide scale—were liable to recur in cycles of from 25 to 30 years, and that the danger was aggravated by the conditions caused by a prolonged war, as was the case after the First World War. There are, however, a number of doctors who disagree with the forecast. One general practitioner' with a wide experience in London epidemics, described it as “nonsense.” The Ministry of Health spokesman said that so far this winter the total number of influenza cases reported was even lower than this time last year.