STREPTOCOCCAL SORE THROAT

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27426, 12 August 1954, Page 3

STREPTOCOCCAL SORE THROAT

ABOUT 6000 CASES IN NINE MONTHS Since the outbreak of streptococcal sore throat, a complaint caused by the same germ as scarlet fever, began in Christchurch in November, there have been about 6000 cases. The tdtal notified in the Christchurch health district is only 1900, but doctors approached yesterday said that only one-third of cases at most were reported to the Health Department. Last November, the Deputy-Medical Officer of Health at Christchurch (Dr. H. T. Knights) said that from January to October, 1953, there had been about 300 notifications, of which 100 were from the Chatham Islands. The usual number in Canterbury was about 100 or 200 a year. From these w figures it appears that the outbreak' did not reach unusual proportions until November, when there were 228 notifications. In December—when there were five weekly returns of notifications—there were 301 cases, but then there was a sharp decline to 67 in January and 73 in February. March, another month in which five weekly returns were reported in “The Press,” brought 167 cases, and April was the worst month, with 299 cases. At Ashburton, the Technical High School had to be closed for several days, because at one stage the number of absentees rose to 177. In May. 246 cases were reported, and the five June returns gave a total of 230 notifications. There was a drop in July to 197 and so far this month there have been 86 notifications. This means that so far this year there have been 1365 notifications, or 4000 or more cases of the complaint. Dr. Knights said yesterday that the complaint varied in severity. Some people had very mild cased of sore throat; other ran high temperatures. There had been a similar heavy outbreak in Wellington, but there was no obvious reason why there should be so many cases in Christchurch. The number of notifications had decreased in the last two or three weeks, but it was too early to say definitely that the epidemic was on the wane. Streptococcal sore throat, he said, came from a droplet infection germ.