FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC

Evening Star, Issue 16992, 14 March 1919, Page 6

FIGHTING THE EPIDEMIC

AUSTRALIAN METHODS. MASKS ANI) - INOCULATION. Tli© restrictions enforced in New South Wales with a view to controlling tho influenza epidemic were relaxed on March 1, when tho compulsory wearing of masks was suspended. Church services were resumed on Sundayand from Monday all restrictions regarding indoor meetings, auction sales, bargain and clearing sales, billiard rooms, libraries, schools, and business colleges were removed. This course was sanctioned by the State Cabinet on tho advice of the Medical Consultative Council, which recommended _ the suspension of masking and the withdrawal of the Prohibition against public assemblies, but advised that the foflowing should ho continued: —Prompt notification of cases, the early removal of patients to hospital, strict quarantine of contacts, the existing restrictions upon tho borders of the State, and inoculation and reinoculation The memorandum also stated; Ihe council reaffirm their previous statement in reference to inoculation—namely, that there is evidence that protective inoculation, though not of tho same value or nature as vaccination against smallpox, diminishes the usk of infection, wely as liability to grave complication if infection should’occur. The 'council recommend that preventive inoculation be continued. They advise, also, that during the currency of the epidemic, or while the risk of free i infection is present, reinoculation slwn.d be performed ot intervals of three months. The council unanimously endorse the opinion of the officers of the Department of Public Health that the public should bo clearly warned that it may bo necessary to reimposo any or all of tho restrictions if at any time the epidemic shows signs of getting out of control. ’ Tho report of the Consultative Committee stated that New South Wales was declared to be imccted by pneumonic in fluenza on January 27. Since that d-+'' there had been 292 oases, <n whjch occurred In Sydney and suburbs among tho civilian ’population. Recent developments went to show_ that there bad been an increase in the intensify of the infection, but did not indicate that -the disease was spreading, and the fear that it might take an explosive notion was becoming less haunting. In New Zealand the first cases were observed at the end of September, and it was not until tho middle of November that what appeared to be an explosive outbreak of virulent type occurred. It was very questionable whether there was any parallel between the recorded events in New Zealand end vriiat had been happening in New South Wales. New Zealand was not prepared lor the attack, and there wore grounds for believing that" between September and November influenza of a relatively mild form wn» spreading quietly and forming foci among I all classes. When the disease became of a more' virulent typo all the smouldering foci suddenly burst into flame, and administrative action against the epidemic was hopeless. New 'South Whiles was fully prepared with a carefully-thought-out plan of campaign, mid as far as was known no invasion of influenza had anywhere been met with such far-reaching measures of defence. Many of those measures had been adopted in other places, but always after the locality had been invaded and the oncmv firmly established. Mm officers of tho Health Department were unanimously of opinion that the public should be clearly warned of the possible necessity of reimposing restrictions on public assemblies and renewing the masking regulations if at any time tho epidemic shows signs of getting out of control. Tho department desired to thank tho Press for their great assistance during trio outbreak. Ihe wide publicity given to the apprehended epidemic had'been of invaluable assistance.