A BAD SEASON

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2752, 22 April 1916, Page 6

A BAD SEASON

FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES

A DISTURBING REPORT

It has been known that the. present autumn has been an unfortunate ona m \\ ellmgton in respect to the large number of cases of infectious diseases which have occurred iu the district. The position. was summarised in a report of the Public Health Committee, which wa 3 presented to the Hospital oud Charitable .'Aid Board, and passed Hi; its monthly meeting on Thursday. The report was as follows:—

"During' the month ended April 11, the Health Inspector's report having investigated an exceptionally large numi ber of infectious disease cases. A mild epidemic,of diphtheria at Shannon during the first week in April was investi, gated and dealt with, and has now subsided.

"A large number of-cases of scarlet fever from Island Bay attracted atten-. tion. The Island Bay School was closed and disinfected) and individual cases promptly dealt with by removal to hos-> pital or strict isolation. The efforts of your inspectors in this direction appeal ito have been successful, as the number of cases now reported have considerably diminished. The epideinio of infantile 'paralysis has been responsible for a considerable additional amount of work for this month, indeed at one time the board's inspectors were unable to undertake and investigate all the cases promptly. Inspector Middlaton, of the Pubhc' Health Department, was detailed for this work, and made , a number of investigations and disinfections.

"Most of the State schools, and a number of private schools have been disinfected and thoroughly cleansed. This ha£ been done under the supervision ,of your board's inspectors, and has been carried out satisfactorily. The investigation and reporting of'infantile'paralysis cases necessitated your board's in? spector3 devoting the whole of Saturday afternoons and part of three, out 01 four Sundays for this work. Inspector Reed was obliged to be away from Well' ington for seven nights, in order t< deal with remote cases'in the country.

The number of infectious disease investigated were as follows: —

March, 1916, to April, 1016.—28 scarlet fover, 17 diphtheria, 1 enteric fever, 3 blood poisoning, 3 cerebro spina] meningitis, 39 infantile paralysis, — chicken pox, — tuberculosis. Total, 91.

March,, 1915, to 'April, 1915.—16 scarlet fever, 15 diphtheria, 3 enterio fever, 1 blood poisoning, — cerebro spinal meningitis, — infantile paralysis, 10 chicken pox, 10 tuberculosis. Total,

One hundred and seventy-six disinfections have been carried out, including the Maranui, Te Aro Infants, Clyde Quay, Island Bay, Marist Brothers, Convent, Terrace, Ohau, Levin, Shannon, Te Mama, May. Morn, Otaki, Kent Terrace, Willis. Street, and Brooklyn Schools. Whole, houses ■at Wallace Street, LifFey Street, Lovcry Bay, Brooklyn, Levin, Island Bay, Roseneathj Ohau, Otaki Maori Pah, and Paekalcariki; 100 sanitary inspections and ,100 revisits have been made'in connection with- the above."