INFANTILE PARALYSIS EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 174, 20 April 1937, Page 10

INFANTILE PARALYSIS EPIDEMIC

First Wellington Death FOURTEEN-YEAK-OLD BOY FROM LOWER HUTT The first death from infantile paralysis since tbe epidemic broke out in Wellington in December happened yesterday. The fatal ease was that of a boy aged 11, who lived at Lower Hutt. He was admitted as a suspect on Saturday, his case later being diaguosed positively. The epidemic appears to be decreasing in Wellington. During the weekend a boy aged five, who lives at Island Bay, was reported to have contracted the disease. He is a positive non-paralytic case. One positive ease, a boy aged seven from Bcrhampore, was admitted yesterday. COUNTRY SCHOOLS ' CLOSED General Instruction WELLINGTON BOARD’S DISTRICT All Wellington Education Board schools in the North Island part of the board’s district were closed yesterday. Hitherto the only schools closed have been those in the city and the Hutt Valley, and certain other schools in districts where infantile paralysis has occurred. Iu other places the position was becoming unsatisfactory, children being kept home from school to such an extent that the work of the institutions was disorganised. Because of this and because the system of teaching with the help of parents, newspapers, radio and the mails has operated satisfactorily, the board yesterday instructed all its North Island schools to close, and change over to home lessons. About 20(1 primary schools in the Wellington district are now closed.

TODAY’S LESSONS Lessons to be done at home to-day appear on Page ®.

NEW ZEALAND SUMMARY Several Positive Cases Following is a summary of reports received through the Dominion Special Service and the Press Association of the infantile paralysis position in parts of New Zealand other than Wellington :— Mastertoil.— Though no cases of infantile paralysis have occurred at the Hadlow School, it has been closed to day scholars as a precautionary measure. Waipuliiirau.— The public and convent schools have been closed because a pupil of one of the local schools, who was admitted to hospital on Thursday, has proved to be a positive case. Hastings.— There have been no further cases of infantile paralysis reported in Napier or Hastings since last Tuesday. If no cases are reported in the intervening days the schools closed may be reopened on Monday. Hamilton.— Two further cases were admitted to hospital during the weekend. One is a girl aged four from Pukeroro, near Cambridge, and the other a boy of the same age, from Te Poi. near Matamata. Oainaru.— -One case, admitted to hospital on Friday last, has been diagnosed as positive. There have been no other positive cases admitted. Greyniouth.— There have been two cases diagnosed as positive, one a baby girl, who has a mild form of the disease, and the other a 'girl of four years.

viiriSLCiiurvii." —lue tuiiur.eus wuru at the public hospital has been quarantined as one of the patients, a three-year-old boy, has contracted the disease. lie has been a patient in the hospital since February. There have been two other notifications, a man, aged -’3, from Sydenham, and a boy, aged 11, from Temuka. Part of the Timaru Boys’ High School has been closed, one pupil having contracted the disease. USE OF NASAL SPRAY A Preventive Measure Notice has been taken by the health authorities in New Zealand of the experiments being conducted in the United States of America with a nasal spray for the prevention of infantile paralysis. Dr. E. F. D’Arth,. Professor of Pathology at the University of Otago, said yesterday on his return in the Awatea from the Australian Cancer Conference that in January of this year the Health Department issued a pamphlet containing instructions for using the spray. The American authorities, said Dr. D’Arth, had evidence from experiments on monkeys that .the spray did lower the incidence of the disease in animals, but it was problematic whether it would do the same to humans. Dr. D’Arth emphasised that the spray was a preventive measure and not a cure. A certain amount of research in infantile paralysis had been carried out in New Zealand, but it had been dropped through lack of funds when the economic depression started, he said. Extensive research had been carried out in Australia, especially under the direction of Dr. Jean McNamara, but they had not yet reached the stage where they could say anything positive regarding prevention and treatment. The most extensive work was being done in the United States of America, where, unlike New Zealand, eases of infantile paralysis were recorded daily. [Au article fully describing the spray appeared in “'The Dominion” on April 13.]

PROFESSION CAUTIOUS

Specialists’ Opinions

Information about the treatment of children's noses with a spray to prevent them catching infantile paralysis had been given to the medical profes slop only for what it was worth, and specialists sounde da definite note of caution in discussing such treatments, said Dr. JI. 11. Watt, Director-General

of Health, when Dr. D’Arth's comments were referred to him. Although experiments with monkeys had been successful the treatment had not been proved with human subjects. American public health authorities had urged case and about the same time, the British Medical JoJurnal had sounded a note of caution about ap plications to the nose. The reaction of the medical profession had been definitely on the side of caution. Dr. Watt said he did not know of tho treatment being tried in New Zealand at all.