INFLUENZA IN AUCKLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 18, 16 October 1918, Page 5

INFLUENZA IN AUCKLAND

ABE THE PRECAUTIONS'TAKEN \ SUFFICIENT? j The Mayor of Auckland lias tele- j graphed to the Minister of Health, etat--] ing that the berthing of tho Niagara at j the Queen's Wharf was a menace to j people's health. Already men, ashore j had contracted tho ailment, and fresh: : cases had oocurred on board. 'i In his reply, Mr. Russell mentione<7 j that if tho reference to the illness' o' i men ashore was concerned with gans j way guards, tho evidence showed influenza had attacked '.;ome of these? ] men before the Niagara's arrival. The j Health Officer's reports indicated that ] the disease was simple influenza, and j all necessary precautions had been j taken. In the ordinary course, he could j not order a ship into quarantine for i simple influenza. If he had reaeon'taf-j believe that any good purpose could be.} served by quarantining in such a case, • he would have to have influenza gazei* j ted as a notifiable infectious ■ disease ' under the Public Health Act,' but the •,; circumstances, so far, did not warrant; such drastio action. Hβ had instructed! I the Port Health Officer at Auckland j to confer with tho Harbour Board au- j thorities about tho berthing. At pre-j sent responsibility in this matter rested with tho board. , _ j As there aro no steamers coming td i New Zealand now from South Africa, j the risk of infection with that form of ! inlluenza, which is causing so many .1 deaths, is very small, but extra precautions aro to he taken'in. Wellington with the examination of people arriving from Australia or Englaud,,; ~ j