INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 64, 15 March 1916, Page 7

INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

ONLY TWO CASES TO-DAY. NONE IN THE CITY. A MENACE OF THE COUNTRY. Following upon the disconcerting incase in the number of cases of infante paralysis cases since Saturday, a slcome diminution in the notification ok place to-day. Since yesterday noon ily two raises have been reported, both ing from the country districts. The tal number of notifications now stands 385, of which 217 have come from the iuntry and IGB from the city and iburban districts. No further deaths ive been reported. SCHOOLS RE-OPEN MONDAY. The position in regard to the public hoole of the city and suburbs is that icy will automatically re-open on Moniy unless something crops up in the eantime which will call for a special eeting of the board or, other emergency :tion. In view of the steady decrease the number of casce in the urban dieicte it ie considered improbable that irther closure will be deemed necessary. i regard to the country schools, how'er, the position is somewhat different. niy those schools in infected districts ere closed in the first place, and on the )caeion of the special meeting last week ie board requested the Public Health (Beer to determine which schools should >ntinue cloecd. Since then the appearnee of the disease in several districts reviously not affected has necessitated ie closing of further schools, and, in iew of the recrudescence of the epidemic f the disease in the country, it is prolble that a number of the schools will jntinue closed until re-opening is rejmmended by the District Health fficcr. SCHOOL SANITATION. A rather shocking state of affaire ir ome of the country eehools has recentlj een brought to light by the epidemic laturally in undrained country towns nd settlements the sanitary arrange lents of the school are primitive, *nc he pan system largely has to be used a many districts, 'however, much dilli ulty has been experienced in regard t< he cleansing service in connection witl he system, with the result that tin laces in use by the children have becj eglected sometimes for weeks at i tretch. It is alleged that in one dis rict, owing to the difficulty of gettin: he labour required for the work, tin ervice had been unattended to fo welve months, and the school accommo ation a few day s ago was in a high!; angerous and disgusting condition. Ti escribe in the full detail of the allega ions made might overstep the proprietic f print, bOt the fact that it is state*, hat the contents of the receptacles are — r were—one live mass should be sumient to prompt the residents of the disrict in question to take action themelves to protect their children, even if he local seSiool committee finds it imlossible to get labour. The condition of ffaire indicated by the foregoing, it is lleged, has existed lor some considerate time, and last year the teacher, for he sake of the children under his care, indcrtook the work. Since that time, lowever, service hae been unprocurable, nd the teacher naturally objects regu- j irly to undertake the work, and iiao nade representations to the Education Soard about the matter. Whether or not the School Committee':; ilea is justified remains to be seen, for t is stated that the school is only a few niles away from another centre, the ocal authority of which has established i regular service which would be availible for the pchool in question if reasonible remuneration is offered. A SERIUfS POSITION. A similar difficulty ia being experienced ill over the country, and the cleansing leVvice is generally more or less hapiazard through the unwillingness of resilents to undertake it. Even whore it U airly regular the health authorities have ■eason to suspect that the health is still seing menaced by burying the nightsoil n spots selected at random in the vicinity of the Bchool. .That the position is regarded as a serious one by those in ;harge of educational affairs is demonstrated by the fact that a member of Lhe Education Board recently went so far as to advocate a return to the old pit system, condemned and abolished From almost every corner of the earth, in preference to the retention of the pan system in districte where it is found impossible to obtain labour for cleansing. This, however, is strongly disapproved of by the Health Department, which is now making inquiries in the districts where lack of attention to the Bchool sanitary service is supposed to oxiet, and is making strong representations to the responsible authorities that action should be taken. THREE CASES IN WAIKATO. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, Tuesday. Three cases of infantile paralysis have been reported since yesterday, two i.i Hamilton East and one at Glenmurray. IN WELLINGTON DISTRICT. SEVEN ADDITIONAL CASES. (By Telegraph.— Fress Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Additional cases of infantile paralysis reported in the Wellington health district comprise two at CSisborne and one each at Wanganui, Eltham. Patea, Palmerston North and Waipukurau. No further cases were notified in Wellington City or the immediate neiffhbourhood. All the patients are children two years of age. Dr. Smith, district health officer left for Taranaki to-day to investigate eases in that district. TWO CASES AT WANGAOTTI. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WANGANUI, Tuesday. Two infanta, one twelve months old and the other 18 months old, were re ported as Buffering from infantile para lysis in the borough to-day.