INFLUENZA'EPIDEMIC

Evening Star, Issue 16912, 9 December 1918, Page 7

INFLUENZA'EPIDEMIC

POSITION AT SYDNEY SATISFACTORY. SYDNEY, December 8. Reports from the quarantine station continue to improve. The number of cases is being reduced daily. In addition to various allegations against the organisation and treatment of those, at the quarantine pump and the outcrv against the proximity of the camp to the" city, another scandal has arisen owing to the authorities refusing admission to a Roman Catholic priest to attend a dying nurse. Archbishop Kelly threatens personally to demand admission unless tho embargo is removed immediately. __ In order to meet the requests of stranded | New Zealanders, accommodation was found for 20 invent cases aboard the Devon, which, will sail on Monday. DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS AT CATLINS. [From Our. Parliamentary Eepom eu.] WELLINGTON, December 7. Mr A. S. Malcolm informed tho Minister of Public Health today that ho had received a telegram revealing the depior- | able condition of tho people in the Gatlins i district. Owing to the lack of railway i facilities and medical requirements people ; wore dying daily, and owing to tho suei pension of train t rattle special trains had . to bo paid for at the rate of £-6 per individual to take patients to tho emergency

hospitnl at Owaka. He appealed to tho Minister to arrange with the Minister of Railways, who had informed him that he was prepared, to meet the Minister of Public 'Health if he wore approached, finding that a staff was available to run the trains. Tho Hon. (,!. W. itoscell asked what hospital district Gatlins was in. Mr Malcolm : it is in the Otago hospital district, and this seems to prove the need of a. separate district. Hon. Mr Russell ; It seems to me this particular place- wants to deal with tho Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Railway*,, as well as the Minister of Public Health. I would like to tell the honorable gentleman that this is the first time any mention bus been made to mo of tills town or district, i will, immediately telegraph to tho Health Officer at Dunedin to make proper arrangements. Had I known of tho suite of affairs I would have had an emergency hospital lilted up on the spot. THE SITUATION IN AMERICA.

Further particulars in regard to the influenza epidemic ia the United States camo to hand by the mail yesterday. A report from Washington dated October 21 stted that in si;; States the situation had improved. Conditions apparently were worst' in Pennsylvania, with 350.000 cam's estimated, 150.C00 in Philadelphia. For the first 18 days in October 14,005 ■dea-tlis wero z'eporLecl in tlii.s State. Fc-r the 48 hours ending at noon on 0< t') :r 21 new influenza < a-Hes totalled 6,5 a. pneumonia 2,079, and deaths 91th 11: so figures broii jht the total of influenza cases since September 13 to 203.-147: pneumonia case# to 7.6,055, and deaths from all cam.; to 15,072. The Public Health Sr. vie.? estimated 180.003 cases in C-'muwtiimt up to October 20. v.-jih 2.625 deaths. In New York. 37 cities out of 61. (exclusive of M“w York City, had registered 1,811 deaths from Octob 1 to 18. In California 2oX-.'o cases had been report'd to October 19; Nebraska, reported 2,278 case's and 65 deaths on October 20. In the American training camps tho disease was ' p-jrtici’l.Trly evident, and at October 3 the influenza cases reported from all "camps since the disease bsc ime epidemic on September 15 totalled 167.0C0. pneumonia, cases 17,102, and deaths 4.910. Xu a report cm the epklomie Dr William H. Park, Pirecfur of the Bureau of Laboratories at Oii-ville, stated, that bacteriologists of the Health Department. who make their to? Is there, found inti uenza bacilli in the throat in 85 per cent, of the city cases. Dr Park said he v.-as not certain whether the first infection is with irinnenza bacilli or not. Nneum.ouia. ho stated, seamed to be duo to the strep-tococcus infection.

11 XVo nre iritp—m a cur< tliDr Copeland. i med ica.l ofllcia.l. (i Bacteriologist: at our placa in OtDvillo may obtain ; succl-ss.’ul vaccine. We have 86 horse: there, one of tkv-e animals having pro chiccd scrum valued at 555,000rhV!5. Thii department furnishes most of the vaccim used by our Government.” Strong measures have been taken ir \V n-slungton to urovent expectoration ii: the streets, which t.s regarded as a sure means of spread be.* the disease. In the Magistrate's ar: on October 10 fines of £5 each were imposed in 15 cases, where the offenders had hc-;n detected in the not ot cstjv t-orating on railway platforms. Arm.;.her v.as -cut to gaol for two da vs. ,mr' tee Magistrate intimated that five (lays’ mync-oini’cnt would be the 'K-caily in a”v cases which might coma before him th ■ s'- -11 .vsire day. Dr Maud here, of Christchurch, speaking of lb a epd-rnic and food, said that y.da-n ic-od was --amt cut from depots, inst-ruct:©".-* si>.add be enclosed saying whet h-.-» i- the Tad , vns j or or couvaloacr-iiis. F--r instance, beef tea, tnoiigh a go -1 stun.-iuint, was bad for patents with a k:::h temperatarc. ustayds woe- ai uiuu-i.-vus to patients o | ’"-se tomjp-ianirp Imd just gene down, ior it yens liable to pat the tmnwraturo up again. I’al i--nts wit!; high tempi ra-t-ure-.s should b ■ given .srda, water, milk and - atov, ban-rv verb, -v. gruel and fmit juices is j-rneerab’n. Jn cares of axtrnrno Y;i*g ninrii;in. rt : ..'.ib'i'Vi v. l-to n]’ ; i> rTii'y. Lv:;;.t 1.-rutt;a Avore :ilso gs sJ. bhe h-.-d ben, .! that if pneumonic ■cases wr re treated sensin'v. a--, fr.i- pneumonia, cares could ! -.- vftecl.-d.