INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 93, 13 January 1921, Page 6

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

DOMINION TOTALS FOR 1920 MARKED INCREASE ON LAST YEAR’S FIGURES The total number of cases of infectious diseases reported to the Health * Authorities for the year ended December 'Bl, 1920, is 41,544, an increase of 29,567 on the figures for the previous year, which were 11,977. It is to be noted that in the period of 1919-20 under review the notification of mild influenza was discontinued after June 23, 1920, and no notifications of measles were made after August 23 of the same year, following ..amendments to the regulations. There has been a marked increase in the number of tu'berculosis cases reported, pnd es the result of the compulsory notification of all influenza cases the figures for 1920 are large. Measles also show a comprehensive increase over last year's fig- ' ures, and the number of erysipelas cases ‘ has grown. Three diseases foreign to ‘ New Zealand have made their appearance, one case respectively being reported of beri-beri (sleeping sickness, as apart from lethargic encephalitis, a common Central African complaint), anthrax (of which one case was reported in 1919), and actinomycosis, of which no case oc- ' curred in the Dominion in the previous year to the one under review. Details of the figures are as follow, • the figures for the previous period be-

Totals 41,5«, (11,977) • ’Signifies notification suspended before end of year. FIGURES FQR WELLINGTON DISTRICT The figures for the past, year in the ' Wellington Health District Are given below, with other figures indicating what increase or decrease there was in the number of notifications in 1920, as compared with the number of notifications in 1919 1919.

Totals 11,657 8499 980 In connection with the above fiß ur ® s . 14 should be observed that the notification ’ of cases of mild influenza was not requir- . ed after June 11, 1920. The order declar- ' ing measles an infectious disease was revoked on August 23, 1920. The Taranaki and Wanganui Hospital Districts ceased to be under the control of the Welling--1 * ton office on July 1, 1920. From the end ' ■ of June last to the beginning of this ' year'the notification of influenza numbered only 35.

ing given in brackets: — 1920. 1919. Scarlet fever 1248 2442 (1521) (3499) 389 (477) Tuberculosis 1305 (984) Cerebro-spinal meningitis 79 (96) * Infantile paralysis 76 (H) “ Puerperal septicaemia ... 124 (79) “t' Hvdatids 45 (4a) •Influenza (mild) 29,928 (3/00) Influenza (pneumonic) ... 470 (—) ’•Measles 2597 (477) (Nil) Diiiauyv.x. 509 (Nil) VniV hOupVA Septicaemia (unclassified) 30 (14) Lethargic encephalitis 42 (90) ffpfTialmia neonatorum 48 (24) 1 (Nil) Erysipelas 156 Tetanus 15 (Nil) 1 (Nil) Actinomycosis 10 (7) 1 (1)

De1920. crease. crease. Scarlet fever 227 40 675 169 Diphtheria 851 — Enteric fever 38 Tuberculosis 197 — 83 Corebro-spinpl meningitis — 17 Poliomyelitis b 2 Puerperal septicaemia 22 Rjpficaemia (unclassifled) 1 Erysipelas 4 Ophthalmia neonaInfluenza 9326 7968 — -Acute primary pneumonia 342 85 — Measles . 407 231 24 Lethargic encephalitis 10 'trachoma 3 ietanu= ' 1 2 — 156 — 1 —• — ——•