THE SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3995, 28 July 1913, Page 5

THE SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC

POSITION OF AFFAIRS LOCALLY

DR. WILLIAMS STILL BUSY. 140 PERSONS VACCINATED ON SATURDAY. A small supply of lymph', about 100 tubes, was .received by Dr. Williams, public vaccinator, on Saturday morning, and ho and Dr. Scott resumed their work of vaccinating the public during the afternoon. About 140 persons in all wore treated. There will be no public vaccinating done to-day, but a resumption will be made to-morrow .afternoon. Dr. Williams informed a lf Times” reporter that he is endeavoring to make arrangements whereby working men can be vaccinated during the evening. He also hopes to make arrangements to visit the country centres after the rush in town has subsided.

A NEW LEASE OF LIFE. THE SYDNEY OUTBREAK

[united panes association—copyright] (Received July 27, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 27. The small-pox has taken a new lease of life, and 15) fresh cases were reported yesterday in the metropolitan area. It is now stated that the failure of the New Zealand lymph is due to its being too pure, which is accounted for by chloroform being blown through it too long during its manufacture. Regarding the Newcastle case, the police state that the patient arrived as a stowaway with five others from New Zealand on July 14. They were made to work their passages on the ship, and were released on arrival. Five days afterwards the patient reported to the hospital, and was found to have small-pox. Two of his companions were traced and arrested on eliarges of vagrancy. Dr Patou declares that the smallpox has taken a decided turn for the worse and that Saturday’s cases show that jtl(e disease is becoming more virulent. Vaccination is the only safeguard and he appeals to all to undergo the operation, stating that everyone unvaccinated is a danger to himself and a serious menace to the community. There were nine additional smallpox cases to-day, making a total of 350.

A LULL fN THE EPIDEMIC. REPORTS FROM AUCKLAND. [PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM] AUCKLAND, July 27. There are now GO cases, of which 12 are Europeans, in the isolation hospital at Point Chevalier. Three Natives were admitted from Mangere on Friday night and two from Shoal Bay, who were prevented from reaching the institution as the result of the bad state of the roads, were sent out yesterday. Reports from the country received this morning at the Auckland office are also of a reassuring, nature. Dr. Cawkwell arrived last night and stated that lie had found three bad cases at Ngawha Springs, near Ohaewai, where he stated there .were 15 convalescents. At Ngawha village an infant was suffering severely, but another child was convalescent. A suspicious case of a Europan woman at Kaikohe township had been isolated in the patient’s own home. The District Health Officer remarked that the subsidence of the epidemic at'this stage was all the more satisfactory because it was just a fortnight'since the last outbreak. occurred, and that was the period of incubation for smallpox, and if the disease was to gain ground a fresh group of cases would naturally have resulted A quantity of lymph sufficient for the inoculation of 5350 persons arrived by the express yesterday morning and before noon 4000 doses had been distributed among the doctors. Although it is reported that a lull in vaccination lias now set in, the extensive demand for vaccine would infer that a number of people are 'Still anxious to avail themselves of the precaution.

SCARE AT LOWER HUTT. SET AT REST BY HEALTH OFFICER. [PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM] WELLINGTON, July 27. It was reported yesterday that a Maori interpreter at Lower Hutt had been smitten with small-pox, hut an examination of the patient by too District Health Officer went to show that the man was suffering from a rush, the usual result of vaccination in some cases. Complaint* are still heard of the difficulty of securing lymph, and they are as readily answered by the Public Health Department. It is understood that all the demands made by Wellington doctors have been met. On Friday 100 tubes were distributed to private practitioners. There was no shortage of lymph, but the infected areas naturally had precedence in the distribution.