POSITIVE CASE AT TIMARU

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21986, 9 January 1937, Page 14

POSITIVE CASE AT TIMARU

Infantile Paralysis Epidemic CITY STILL CLEAR OP DISEASE A positive diagnosis has been made in the suspected case of infantile paralysis admitted to the Timaru Hospital on Thursday. The case is that of a 12-year-old boy, who is thought to have played with some children from Dunedin on New Year's Day. He was admitted to hospital from South End; he has not yet shown signs of paralysis.

This is the only new turn in the spread of the disease since Thursday afternoon, and there are now six cases in the Canterbury-Westland health district. Four are at Timaru and two at Waimate. but so far the northerly districts of Canterbury have remained free from the disease.

Definite paralysis has set in in the case of a girl aged eight years, who was admitted to the Timaru Hospital earlier in the week, and whose case was diagnosed as positive. This girl lived at Waimataitai, and contracted the disease while staying at The Levels.

Because of the positive diagnosis of the latest case at Timaru, four families have been quarantined for 14 days, as they had all been in contact with the patient. The condition of the remaining patients in the Timaru Hospital is satisfactory, according to the medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr. J. Campbell McKenzie. It is expected that a girl, aged 18, •who was the first patient admitted at Timaru, will be discharged from hospital in a day or two. She is not paralysed, but op returning to her home she will be in quarantine for about three weeks. ANOTHER POSITIVE CASE AT DUNEDIN THREE PATIENTS ADMITTED FOR OBSERVATION (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) DUNEDIN, January 8. There were no definite cases of infantile paralysis reported to-day, but three patients were admitted to the Dunedin Hospital for observation. One was a man aged 24 from the Dunedin district, and there were two girls, each aged two, one from Dunedin and one from Port Chalmers. The hoy admitted yesterday is now declared a positive case, without paralysis. Artillery camps have been postponed. . REOPENING OF SCHOOLS NO DECISION POSSIBLE FOR SOME TIME Enquiries as to the date of reopening of the schools have been made at the Health Department’s office in Christchurch, but the Medical Officer of Health. Dr. T. Fletcher Telford, said yesterday that it was too early yet to say whether there _ would be any extensions to the holidays. No definite answer could be given until the epidemic showed signs of abating. Most of the swimming and surf carnivals arranged for this month have been cancelled. The East Christchurch and Elmwood clubs’ carnivals on January 18 and January 23 have been postponed, but permission has been granted for the Canterbury Surf Association’s competition day at Waimairi beach on January 24 to be held, as this is entirely an adult competition. The surf day at Taylor’s Mistake on February 28 has not so far been affected. Timaru is the only point in Canterbury of the Australian surf team’s visit to be affected. The surf carnival arranged for February 7 at New Brighton will be continued if the tour is not cancelled. BANISHED FROM APIA FOR A MONTH RESIDENTS WHO HAD VISITED AUCKLAND (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) ' (Received January 7, 9.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, January 8. Two Samoan residents, Mr W. Links and Miss M, Yandall,- who were refused permission to land at their home town, Apia, arrived in Sydney by the .Wanganella to-day. They were not allowed to land at Apia because of their having come from Auckland dining the infantile paralysis epidemic. They expect to be allowed to return to Apia after a month, provided they do not call at Auckland. ,