Deaths Last Month Highest Since 1918 ’Flu Epidemic

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 10

Deaths Last Month Highest Since 1918 ’Flu Epidemic

More Christchurch people died last month than at any time since the influenza epidemic of 1918. The number who died was 356 —109 more than in August last year. The peak in Christchurch was in November. 1918. when 473 persons died. Only once since 1918 has the number of deaths in any month exceeded 300. That was in August, 1952, the year of the Asian influenza epidemic, when 306 deaths were recorded. According to figures collected by the research committee of the Canterbury faculty of the College of General Practitioners, influenza cases “multiplied exceedingly” in Christchurch during the last weeks of July and early August. The committee’s fourweekly report for the period ended August 5 shows that, during the last week of the period. reporting doctors were seeing, on average, more than three times as many patients for the diseases listed in the report as during an average week of the JuneiJuly four-weekly period. More than three-quarters of the cases were of viral infections affecting the chest. Peak Reached?

Incomplete figures for the weeks ended August 12. 19. and 26 indicate that the peak number of cases may have been reached about the middle of the month. Up to yesterday. 342 cases of respiratory influenza had been reported by 12 doctors for the week ended August 12, 273 cases by 11 doctors for the week ended August' 19, and

137 cases by seven doctors for the week ended August 26 The figures do not purport to show the total number of cases of disease seen by doctors Their purpose is to give some index of the relative prevalence of various diseases between one period and another.

A central city doctor confirmed that, in his practice, the influenza peak had been reached a fortnight ago. He was under the impression, however, that the time of the peak was different in different parts of the province and even in different city suburbs, and that in some country areas the epidemic might only now be starting The infection was said to have passed through the city roughly from south to north “It has been the most widespread epidemic I have ever experienced." he added At' one time, he was working until a late hour each evening and starting again first thing the next morning Another doctor, with a practice in the north-west-central area of the city, said that, although the epidemic seemed to be slightly on the wane, it was by no means over. He was still being ksept very busy looking after influenza patients. According to the committee's report, the characteristic symptoms of the influenza were persisten* headaches, pains in the back and limbs sore throats, high temperatures. and a bad cough Usually, patients recovered within a week.

Fifty-four cases of respira;ory viral infection were seen

by contributing doctors in the week ended July 15, 116 in the week ended July 22, 281 in the following week and 328 in the week ended August 5.. Twenty-one neurotropic viral infections were seen during the four weeks, compared with only two in the previous four weeks. The total viral infections—respiratory, neurotropic, and enterovirus—seen during the four weeks was 827. against 189 in the preceding period. Thirty-two cases of pleurodynia (muscular rheumatismi were recorded in the four weeks, 16 times as many as in the previous period Twenty-six of the cases were reported during the week ended July 29. A marked fall was observed in the number of adult staphylococcal infections seen during the four weeks ended August 5 compared with the previous four weeks. Forty cases were reported during the latter period, compared with 55 in the preceding four weeks when the number of reporting doctors was fewer Children’s staphylococcal infections also fell, although not quite so sharply—from 27 to 22 Otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear) claimed 72 victims in the latter period, compared with 37 in the previous f'Hir weeks. Gastroenteritis was up slightly, from 48 cases to 60 cases.

Many doctors reported the common cold, acute bronchitis and pneumonia, cervical adenitis, and coryza as all being prevalent during the period.