CEREBRO-MENINGITIS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 September 1915, Page 7

CEREBRO-MENINGITIS.

SIX CASES IN AUCKLAND PROVINCE. NO NEED FOR ALARM. HUGGING AND KISSING BARRED. [by TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL TO ‘ STAR.”] AUCKLAND. This Day. The cerebro-spinal meningitis fever, of which so much Ims recently been heard, has been made notifiable by tire Health Department and in the month of August six cases in the province of Auckland have been reported to the Health Department. The District Health Officer (Dr. Hughes) pointed out on Saturday that Ibis does not have any grave significance for the reason that the cases are scattered throughout the province, and it is also highly probable that all six were not cerebro-spinal meningitis cases.

Apropos of the subject it is in tractive to turn to a leaflet on the subject issued by the Health Department in which the symptoms are set forth with advice as to precautions advisable to check any possible spread of the disease. It is therein set out that an attack of the trouble is usually indicated at the outset by shivering, intense dizziness or headache and persistent vomiting on the part of the patient, followed by delirium alternating with sleepiness or stupor. The spread of the disease In- direct infection or contact is much more restricted than in a trouble like small pox. It: is stated that a healthy person may carry the coccus of the disease and he himself unaffected, but may transmit it to others of less robust health. That method of spreading the disease is said to be specially likely to happen where there is intimate contact such as occurs in the fondling of children or in kissing.” Consequently the exigencies of the times demand the subordinal ion of such social and family amenities as the careless kiss and the scrumptious squeeze to the Spartan virtues embodied in the ‘‘glassy stare” and the “frozen face.”

The Native hongi hongi (rub noses') salutation is a custom that is looked on with special suspicion at the moment by medical men.