QUARANTINE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 8

QUARANTINE

.NEW ZEALAND SYSTEM

SHOULD IT BE ABANDONED?

CABINET DECIDES TO" TAKE NO ACTION.

j; For some time past the Health De- . partment has had" under consideration the desirability of reviewing the quarantine system in New Zealand with the idea of ultimately adopting the. system of ir:edical—■ examination of shipping, which obtains in tlie Old Country. The. subject was considered by the Board of : Health, which passed ;i resolution' sup- ! porting tlie views of officers of the De-partment-in favour of following the English practice. The Minister of Health (the Hon. Sir Maui Poriiare) subsequently submitted the question to Cabinet, which, howbver, decided that no action should be taken. As long ago as 1849, England abandoned quarantine, and the question which has been before the authorities in New Zealand is whether the Dominion should follow that'example, or vastly, improve tlie system in operation here; and bring it into line with the thoroughly up-to-date system in Australia. ; ' THE ENGLISH SYSTEM., : . . Since 1849 the opinion of British sanitarians has. been that the best,.way to prevent the dangers arising front imported infection, is to maintain a 'high standard of sanitation and administration tlie various ports and inland districts, Hand there has been substituted for quarantine a system of medical.inspection which it is said has proved'an unequivocal success. '■. .When a ship .arrives in an English port with infectious disease on board the patients are removed forthwith to an isolation, hospital maintained by the port sanitary authority, 'or in the case of the smaller ports the patients are removed to the hospital of an adjoining council with whom the port sanitary, authority has an agreement, to this end. "Contacts" who are regarded as specially^dangerous may similarly be detained "in. isolation hospitals or , observation shelters until, the danger is passed. Contaminated articles are disinfected by steam, and the 'infected quarters' are cleansed and fumigated., All healthy persons on board who desire .to land, witb; the exception, perhaps of a few' close are allowed to do so. <They are required, however, to give the Medical Officer of Health their names and the addresses to which.they are proceeding so that, they niay.'be'kept under surveillance at their destinations until the incubation' period of; the disease has been /completed. This enables any fresh cases of the disease to be'detected in their early stages,-and proper measures taken to limit the spread of.tbe disease. Before release'tbe "contacts"' are urged to. undergo ,vaccination or re-vaccination,. -but there is no nowcr of, compulsion. The effect of all this is that a ship is not 1 held up.for. more than a few hours, and healthy persons oil: board are" not detained. There are no expensive '•quarantine-stations, to-be :, maintained. The larger ports provide their own iso--latibn hospitals and disinfecting stations;' the smaller, by: agreement with an adjoining council possessing the isolation' hospital or disinfecting plant, simply avail' themselves,'of. the existing facilities . upon ■'.: payment. ■> of "a .-'/ stipulated' amount. - ' ■ : v . PEW EPIDEMICS. . , '. Advocates of the adaptation of the j English system- to. New. Zealand point out that notwithstanding Britain's great, trade^ with; infected" ports/in all' parts of- the world, it has so far escaped the development, to any extent of epidemics: I which have ravaged ; other countries, j placing their reliance .on the more rej stricted measures based on .quarantine. I: In niany respects-, New Zealand fol- ! lows the Australian quarantine system, : although the Dominion's is not so complete 'in .the matter of' accommodation,, anil equipment 'as the. Commonwealth, !: which' necessitates large and expensive | and well-equipped 'quarantine stations, and is more expensive than the English system. ■■ ... /■.■'"•■ . ;■; '■' ■" '. -'■.■..-. The'question which the Ne\y Zealand Government has had.to decide'has been whether it should adopt the English pratice or. follow the -Australian system more closaly, but, as reported above; Cabinet has resolved to take no action.