TWO SUSPECTED CASES

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21977, 29 December 1936, Page 8

TWO SUSPECTED CASES

♦ Diagnoses Not Yet Made POSSIBLY INFANTILE PARALYSIS Two children suspected of having contracted infantile paralysis were admitted to the Christchurch Hospital yesterday, but neither has yet been diagnosed as positive. One is from the city inner area. The Medical Officer of Health for the Canterbury-Westland district, Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, himself ordered the removal to hospital of a girl, aged 14 years, from Redcliffs. The patient from the city area is a boy, aged three years. Both cases have been reported to Dr. J. F. Landreth, the specialist appointed recently by the DirectorGeneral of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt. The diagnoses will be completed tomorrow and if these give negative results the children will be discharged from hospital. In the meantime those in the households from which the children have been removed to hospital, with the exception of the male workers, have been placed under quarantine. If the diagnosis is negative in a case the quarantine is immediately lifted. Dr. Telford said yesterday that he had had no trouble with holidaymakers wishing to travel. Those who had wished to take children to Dunedin or the immediate district had been dissuaded, and others who had sought advice on the amendment of camping itineraries had taken the advice tendered to keep well away from big communities, and to make the tour in the north of the island rather than south of Christchurch. All transport services have received many cancellations of reservations. The Union Steam* Ship Company would have had a record holiday season this year if cancellations had not been so numerous; the tramways revenue has shown a marked decline; and, although it has had a record holiday season so far, the Railways Department claims that its figures 'would have been higher if precautions against infantile paralysis had not been necessary. MORE DUNEDIN CASES GIRLS SLIGHTLY PARALYSED (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN, December 28. Two cases of infantile paralysis were admitted to the Dunedin Hospital during the 24 hours ended at 9 a.m. today, these being girls aged 12 and 13 years respectively. Both were slightly paralysed. No further cases were received until late in the evening, when a six-year-old girl was admitted for observation, and a boy, five years of age. ■who was brought to Dunedin from Waipori, was also placed under observation. The case of fatal infection of an adult, aged 41, reported yesterday, has caused numerous enquiries to be made about the possibility of adults contracting the disease. The authorities etate, however, that such a contingency is very rare, for 50 per cent, of parajysis cases occur in children under five years of age, and 90 per cent, in children under 16. ADMISSION AT TIMARU YOUTH PLACED UNDER OBSERVATION [THE PEESS Special Service.] TIMA f RU, December 28. As a development in the infrjitile paralysis epidemic at Dunedin a youth, aged 20, was sent to the Timaru Hospital during the week-end for observation. He was living in a house in which a Dunedin family, which had arrived for the holidays, was also staying. The house and the occupants were immediately placed under quarantine by the borough health officer, Mr A. W. Watkinson, until he receives & report from the hospital. ESPERANTO CONGRESS POSTPONED On the advice of the Health Department the eighth New Zealand Esperanto Congress, which was to have been held in Christchurch at New Year, has been postponed on account of the outbreak of infantile paralysis. SUSPECT IN WELLINGTON HOSPITAL (PSE3B ASSOCIATION TBLEGBAM.) WELLINGTON, December 28. A boy, 16 years of age, was admitted to hospital last night as an infantile paralysis suspect. His home is. in Wellington. So far he shows no sign of paralysis. PRECAUTIONS AT APIA MATUA'S PASSENGERS NOT ALLOWED TO LAND (ttwitzd press association— copyright.) APIA, December 26. Because of infantile paralysis in New Zealand passengers by the Matua were not allowed to land. Passengers resident in Apia are returning to New Zealand or are leaving the ship at Suva. They will await an opportunity of catching a cargo steamer to Apia. All the inward cargo was discharged and the bananas were loaded by local labour. The bananas shipped total VOCS cases.