INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Evening Star, Issue 22619, 10 April 1937, Page 16

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

TWO CASES AT NEWTOWN SCHOOLS CLOSED [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, April 9. Two cases of infantile paralysis have been reported from Newtown. .On* is a girl of five, attending the - Newtown School, and the other is a girl of 16. The discovery of the first case resulted in the Newtown School, one of the largest in Wellington,- being closed down immediately till further notice. The nearby Berhampor* School, with 400 pupils, was already; closed. HAWERA, April 9. Following the admission to hospital of two further suspected cases of infantile paralysis, the - Manaia State School, the Manaia Convent School, and the Otakeho School Lave been closed till further noticed PROSECUTION FAILS [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, April 9. Holding that a case ; had not. been: established, and that the present, framing of the regulations as to. infectious and notifiable diseases under the Health Act imposed too great a difficulty on those enforcing them, Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., to-day dismissed two informations against Samuel; Lister, a plasterer, charged with permitting a child to attend school after having. been warned by the health! authorities not to do so. The evidence showed that the warning resulted from Lister’s son with.aijljoy who had been in hospital;,-witoj ihfantil® paralysis. The magistrate ■ suggested that it would be very difficult, to prove, contact. He said the health, inspectors were doing their duty very well by* serving notices wherever there was a' possibility of infection, but the regulations did not give power to declare a contact. The magistrate indicated that he considered there' should be some such power. If officers had. reasonable grounds to believe a contact had taken place, they should have power to servo notices, ana tnos# notices should be obeyed. . . Counsel for Lister said he quite understood the department’s difficulty. He added, however, that it was only fair to the defendant" to say he- was definite that there was no contact. His hoy was 15 and .the suspect seven,; and Lister was prepared to" swear that there was no exposing of the boy t» contact; - . MILD CASE . I . [Per United- Press Assoctation,], PALMERSTON NORTH,. April 10. The first case of infantile paralysis from within the city boundary has been admitted to hospital—a girl of two years with slight paralysis in .the left leg. It is regarded as f mud case.