THE LEPER STATION

Evening Star, Issue 17958, 3 May 1922, Page 8

THE LEPER STATION

■ —-*■ RESIDENTS ALARMED. [Special to the ‘Stap..’] CHRISTCHURCH. May 2. Tho action of a number of attendants at tho toper station on Quail Island in regularly attending _ church services at Charted? Bay lias occasioned a certain amount of alarm among tlio residents of tho bay. They feel that they are being needlessly exposed to tho danger of contracting the dreadful disease, and it is stated tha t for this reason somo of tho residents do not attend the services. A ‘Star’ reporter brought tho matter to tho notice of Dr Telford, medical officer of health, and asked him if there were any grounds for alarm. “There is not tho slightest occasion for any alarm to bo expressed,'’ ho replied. Tho degree of infectivity with leprosy was comparatively slight Tuberculosis, on tho other hand, was a much more contagious disease, and if it was as rare, as leprosy the same precautions would bo taken to prevent its spread as wo.ro now taken with leprosy. With leprosy there was no such thing ns a carrier. Tho

attendants (lid not como into personal contact with the patients. The lepers live on a separate part of tho island from I,bo attendants, al| d are divided by a wire fence. Tho lepers ha.vo their own dishes, and when requirin'; food they simply bring these dirtier to tho fence and the food is placed in them. The patients and the attendants seldom get nearer to each other than a distance of about 12ft.