OUTBREAK OF PARALYSIS

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25390, 13 January 1948, Page 6

OUTBREAK OF PARALYSIS

NO NEW CASES IN CANTERBURY

NEW ZEALAND TOTAL NOW 146

No additional cases of infantile paralysis, suspected or positive, were reported in Christchurch yesterday. The District Medical Officer of Health (Dr. J. H. Blakelock) said that the two positive cases now in the Christchurch Hospital had had no recent contacts with North Island districts.

The number of positive cases in infantile paralysis i eported since the outbreak began has now reached 146. The totals to date for the various health districts are as follows: Auckland .. .. 90 North Auckland .. .. 2 South Auckland .. .. 27 Thames-Tauranga ♦. 2 Gisborne .. „. 1 Taranaki .. .. 13 Wellington-Hawke’s Bay 9 Canterbury *. ..2 146 Dr. Blakelock Said yesterday that, because of complaints that children under 16 years of age were attending auction , rooms in the city, one of the department’s inspectors, accompanied by a member of the Police Force, had Visited various auction rooms yesterday morning to ensure that previous instructions. which banned children from such rooms, were being observed. One or two children had been found in auction rooms and the firms were advised that the ban must be enforced. Since the ban on travel by children under 16 years of age came into force. 372 permits have been issued to people who wish to return to their homes with children. Most of the applicants have been people who came to the South Island just before the ban was imposed and are now returning.

RUMOUR OF SUSPECTED CASE AT ASHBURTON DENIED

A rumour that a suspected case of infantile paralysis had been admitted to hospital from the Ashburton area was denied by Dr. G. L. McLeod (District Health Officer) yesterday. He said he frequently received inquiries about similar rumours from many parts of the district, which stretches from the Rakaia river to the southern boundary of the Waitaki County. There was nothing further to report about the general position, Dr. McLeod added, except that it was very pleasing to see the public was taking a more sensible and reasonable attitude about precautions since the admission of two positive cases to hospital in Christchurch.

SUSPECTED CASE IN AUCKLAND

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, January 12. One suspected case of infantile paralysis was admitted to the Auckland Hospital to-night. The patient, a child from the south of Auckland, was the first to be admitted to hospital from the central Auckland health district since Thursday. There were 51 positive cases and five suspected cases in hospital to-night. Four more suspected cases have been admitted to the Waikato Hospital. They comprise a woman aged 23, from Te Kauwhata, two boys aged 10, from the Morrinsville district, and a boy aged 22 months from Te Kowhai.

ANOTHER SUSPECT IN WELLINGTON

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, January 12. A nine-year-old boy from Tawa Flat was admitted to the Wellington Public Hospital to-night as a suspected case of infantile paralysis. For several days the hospital had been free of both positive and suspected cases. The last previous suspected case was admitted to hospital last Wednesday. This, and several other suspects reported since the beginning of the year, had all been diagnosed as negative. The last of six positive cases in Wellington was discharged from hospital on December 30.