SMALLPOX.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20498, 17 March 1932, Page 11

SMALLPOX.

OUTBREAK IN VANCOUVER^ 'is HEALTH DEPARTMENT TAKIN<| PRECAUTIONS. [Feom Our Parliamentary Reporter^ WELLINGTON, March 16. As a result of private advice received by the Hon. J. A. Young that an. outbreak of smallpox has occurred at Van-* couver, port health officers throughout New Zealand have been instructed to keep a close watch upon vessels arrive ing in the Dominion from. Canada. Recognising that New Zealand, through her close shipping contact with Canada, is vitally concerned with an. outbreak of this sort, the Minister- ha* instructed that every precaution b« taken to prevent the disease from reaching here. The Aorangi will arrive at Auckland from Vancouver on and she will be the first of the regular trans-Pacifie vessels to be subject to a thorough examination under th« Minister's order. It is regarded officially as Strang# that no cabled information regarding th« outbreak has been forwarded to th« Government here or to the New Zealand newspapers. There is in force an international agreement by which outbreaks of this description arc notifiable between the countries concerned, but exactly how far Canada is affected i» not quite clear.

Mention in Vancouver Press. : A large advertisement' printed recently in a Vancouver journal state» in bold type that an outbreak of smallpox of a malignant type had occurred in that city and people were called upon, to become vaccinated immediately. It was also stated that up to the time the advertisement appeared there had. been 22 cases and seven deaths. Considerable attention has been directed by the Health Department of New Zealand upon the recent landing at Pitcairn Island of a passenger from a liner bound from New Zealand. It has been reported that the man took ill on the vessel and that his case was diagnosed as smallpox. How far this is correct the Health Department is not at present prepared' to sayj it is believed the patient may be suffering from chickenpox.