SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS TAKEN

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21743, 27 March 1936, Page 12

SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS TAKEN

GUARDING AGAINST SCARLET FEVER

Precautions are being taken by the Health Department to prevent any epidemic of scarlet fever. This statement was made yesterday by Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, Medical Officer for Health- in Canterbury and Westland, in commenting on an opinion expressed at a recent meeting of : the North Canterbury Hospital Board that there was danger of such an epidemic. The opinion was that of Mr A. T. Smith, chairman of the public health committee of the board, who said that of 26 cases dealt. with in the infectious diseases hospital in February 20 had been scarlet fever, and of 24 infectious diseiases cases notified in February 13 were scarlet fever. The sharp rise in the number of scarlet fever cases at this, time of the year, he considered, suggested that this disease should be watched closely. There was an epidemic in Australia, and it was six or seven years since the last cne in New Zealand, so that it might be coming round again. Dr. Telford said that every medical practitioner in Canterbury and Westland had been advised by the department that special precautions should be taken to prevent any possibility of an epidemic, and if all reasonable care was taken there would not be any undue spread of the disease. It was essential to check the disease in its early stages, and if that was done there need be no fears.

•Each month this summer there had been a considerable number of cases of this disease, and the significance of this could be appreciated because the disease - was one that came usually in the autumn and the winter. If the disease continued after the summer there would be a very,high degree of probability that more cases would occur in the usual seasonal period. However, added Dr. Telford, there was no cause for alarm at present.