MANY CASES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 63, 7 December 1938, Page 6

MANY CASES

Infectious Disease In Wellington

MEASLES MORTALITY

Deaths From Pneumonia Show Increase

A review of the incidence of infectious disease in Wellington city and suburbs was given yesterday in an interview by Dr. F. S. Maclean, Medical Office of Health, Wellington. There had been a marked decrease in the cases of scarlet fever, he said, and no cases of poliomyelitis, either paralyzed or nonparalzed, had been reported so far this year. The notifications of diphtheria for the first 10 months of the year, however, were in excess of the total for the whole of last year. Up till October 31 this year, there had been 23 deaths from measles iu Wellington city and suburbs. No deaths were reported iu 1937. Other non-notifiable infectious diseases were influenza, which had caused eight deaths in the first 10 months of the present year, and pneumonia, from which 57 persons had died. The 1937 figures had been 11 and 30 respectively. The following table shows the total of notifiable disease cases in Wellington city and suburbs for the first 10 months of 1938, compared with the 12 months of the previous year:— City. Suburban City and Area. Suburbs.

Discussing the figures, Dr. Maclean said that, though an accurate comparison was not possible, the return gave a clear indication of how the year’s totals would compare with 1937. Scarlet fever, lie said, exhibited waves of incidence with a peak about every eight years. At present, the wave was receding and notificationswere likely to be fewer for the full year than in 1937. Diphtheria, however, had shown a decided increase as compared with last year.' It was hoped during next year to undertake a'campaign of immunization against the disease and parents would be invited to have their children immunized at school. “There is a notable decrease in the number of cases of septic abortion reported,” continued Dr. Maclean. “The decrease, if true, may be the result of improved economic conditions, combined with the effect of the publicitj’ which this disease has recently received.” Dr. Maclean said, that the tuberculosis position was muclvthe same as last year. The last epidemic of poliomyelitis had occurred in 1937, but this year there had been no Cases in either Wellington city or the suburban area. During the past two or three years, erysipelas had shown a rising tendency difficult to explain. There was a tendency to notify milder cases of puerperal fever and the slight apparent increase was of no significance. Last year’s cases of enteric fever had been mostly included in an outbreak in an institution and the position'was now back to normal. Mild Influenza.

Influenza had been prevalent. It was of a mild type, however, so far as the death-rate was concerned. “There has been a severe epidemic of measles,” said Dr. Maclean, “with a -high attack-rate and a number of deaths. The increased death-rate from pneumonia may well be a result, to some extent, of the measles epidemic.”

M Ci w 8 CTO -5 03 g M Z Ci G § g?S CJ o Scarlet fever . 90 44 48 2o 147 69 Diphtheria .. CO 100 26 81 80 181 Tuberculosis (pulmonary) 175 138 45 47 220 185 Poliomyelitis— Paralysed . 36 — 17 —- 53 — Nonparalysed 16 — 3 - 19 — Erysipelas ... co 70 8 13 68 83 Septic abortion 19 4 t) — 24 4 Enteric fever o 1 9 — 14 1 Eclampsia ... 5 7 4 1 9 8 Cerebro-spinal fever «... 1 2 — 3 1 5 Influenza .... 2 —— -— £ 5 Puerperal fever 3 7 4 6 13 Hydatids .... J 1 1 1 3 Trachoma ... 2 2 2 — 4 *2 Ophthalmia neonatorum *) —— —— jii — Food poisoning 1 — —“ — 1 — Dysentery ... 1 •— 3 1 4 1 Undulant fever —— —— — 2 Lead poisoning 2 1 — 1 - Totals 493 3S2 175 181 668 563 Figures Analyzed.