INFLUENZA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17946, 13 November 1918, Page 4

INFLUENZA.

epidemic still raging. • drastics action by health &FFICER. • CHURCHES TO CLOSE FOR ONE WEEK. \ J Dr H- Chesson, district health officer, lias found it necessary to greatly extend his interdict against assemblies of persons in tho Canterbury a,nd West Coast health district. In this issue he publishes an advertisement announcing that under tho powers conferred by the Health Act tho following places must be closed 1 for one week. Theatres and picture theatres. Billiard sqloons. Shooting galleries. ' Concert rooms. Publio halls. Libraries. „ , , . Other places of entertainment. Public and private schools, colleges and other educational establishments. Places used for race meetings, shows . or exhibitions of any kind. Churches and chapels on week days and evenings. . This order will not interfere with Sunday services in tho day time. Dr Chesson last night expressed Tegret that it was for him to interfere with church services and ho said that he highly appreciated the way in which the heads of churches of all denomittafcions had responded to hig appeal, f EPIDEMIC INCREASING. Many more cases of influenza have been reported in Christchuroh, but Dr Chesson stated that there _had been no sensational developments during the day. ■ Private doctors in the city are working very hard to cope with the trouble." Many of them complain of the overwork and strain placed on them. An application was made to ope doctor to fix an, hour for a lady patient. His wife, who, answered tho call, said that there was: no hope whatever that he could be seen that day, and little hope for the next day. She added that he had been working from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., and that ho was utterly exhausted. Few doctors, however, have officially reported cases to the Health Department in accordance with the regulations under the Health Act. ' INHALATION~CHAMBERS. : Dr Chesson has not succeeded in establishing any more inhalation chambers, and large numbers attended the chamber in. the Eleotrical Department’abuildings yesterday and last night. ,The room arranged for in Manchester Street, close to the present chamber, has not been fitted up. but may be ready today. The Woolston Tanneries Company has arranged to erect a chamber at its works in Woolston. - This will be available to residents in the district. It is hoped that it will be ready to be used to-day. ™ HOTELS CLOSE?). Owing to the danger of a large congregation of people in the hotels on such an occasion as yesterday, the Health Officer ordered the closing of all public bars, which teoje effect about 11 a.m., and will, under present circumstances, continue until nine o’clock on Thursday morning. APPEAL TO LOCAL BODIES. The Hon G. W. Russell, Minister of Public Health, and Dr Frengley, this morning published tho following appeal to local bodies i: — “In viqw of the serious epidemic now prevalent in the Dominion, every local authority is required to secure the safest,possible sanitary conditions in its district, and as a part thereof to maintain at some central placo supplies of disinfectants for speedy issue to the public. Also to make it widely known that the - publio should not at present ti-avel beyond their ow.n locality. ’"Every, local authority*'is advised to nave the standard influenza, remedy available for speedy issue to the public on demand. The public are requested to carefully read, any advice regarding influenza as from time, to time may_ be published, and to improve, tho sanitation of their houses and take all precautions necessary to prevent an outbreak-” RANGIORA. On account of' tho epidemic, several well-known personages , in .‘Rangiora were absent from the celebrations there yesterday- Nearly one-half of tho pupils of the High School wero absent on Monday, but the attendance at the primary school was higher than it was two or three weeks ago. Those schools and also the Roman Catholic School will be closed for the remainder of the week. If the use of a suitable building oan be obtained, an inhalation chamber will be provided in Rangiora. Dr T. A, Will, who has been laid up for a-fow days with the complaint, is now making a good recovery, and in a few days should bo able to relieve Dr h. B. Burnett frona the heavy pressure of work in the district. ' SIX DEATHS IN HOSPITAL. There wero about fifteen patients admitted to the Christchurch Hospital yesterday suffering from influenza, bringing the: total of such admissions up to eighty- It is stated that all the spare accommodation is occupied by influenza patients, and it is intended to endeavour to open a new ward. Future influenza cases will be sent to Bottle Lake, which has accommodation for forty or fifty patients. Six deaths from ! influenza oepurred in the Hospital terdayAT AUCKLAND. SERIOUS LACK OF NURSES. [Per Press Association.] AUCKLAND, November 12. '•A. new crisis is approaching/ particularly in relation to district nursing, through nurses either going down with thq malady or collapsing from exhaustion. The great iced is for skilled nurses tq fill the g:>ps, otherwise patients will be neglected and the. old position reverted to., There were no public demonstrations in connection with the .armistice,' the health authorities having requested that no crowds should gather in view of the serious epidemic situation. SOUTH AFRICAN OUTBREAK. • . OVER 60,000 DEATHS. Australian and N.Zi Gable Association. CAPE TOWN, November 101 Statistics have been published showing that over 60,000 deaths from, influenza occurred in South Africa . and Rhodesia, of which 7000 were of whites.