CEREBROSPINAL MENINGITIS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 189, 8 May 1941, Page 10

CEREBROSPINAL MENINGITIS

Outbreak In North Auckland Area

PREVENTIVE STEPS TAKEN

A statement that a elose watch was being kept on the eerebro-spinal meningitis outbreak in the North Auckland area was made yesterday by the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer. He said that as soon as it appeared that more than one isolated case was involved, he had authorized the district Officer of health to take preventive steps. These included the closing of schools and the prohibition of public meetings. At first, restrictions were. imposed only in the Kawa Kawa area, where the outbreak originated, but now all schools in North Auckland had been closed and teachers had been instructed to stand by their schools and not travel from their areas. The military authorities, too, were co-operating in limiting troop movements to a minimum.

The Minister said that if necessary further restrictive action would be taken, but he expressed the hope that the general public would co-operate to make this unnecessary. He said that in the interests of the community as a whole, the people of the North Auckland area should not move from place to place unless sueh travel was absolutely essential. So long as the danger existed, it was wise for the public, not only in the affected areas, but throughout New Zealand to take certain simple precautions. These were to avoid crowded assemblies, to keep iu tlie often air as much as possible, and to have sleeping quarters adequately spaced and well ventilated. The Minister said that from the beginning officers of the Health Department had been maintaining a personal contact with (he districts where the cases bad been occurring, and were exercising close supervision. Following a conference with the British Medical Associathm. a circular had been drawn up and sent to all medical practitioners. This was for the purpose of reminding doctors of the symptoms they were likely to encounter and of tlie most moderri methods of treating the disease, and warning them that all suspected cases should be brought to the notice of the Health Department without delay.