SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC.

Mataura Ensign, 27 September 1913, Page 2

SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC.

SYDNEY CASES. BI M.ECTEIC TELEGRAPH COPTEIGHT. PEE UNITED PEESS ASSOCIATION. SYDNEY, Sept, 26. Five fresh cases of smallpox have been reported. POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND. FRESH CASES AT AUCKLAND. f-EB UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. Four fresh cases of the epidemic have been moved' to the Isolation Hospital | at-Point Chevalier. The patients, who [are all Europeans—three children and j their father—have been living for some ■ time off Jervois Road, Ponsonby. The i city and suburbs had remained free from the epidemic for eight days. One j of the children, a boy, developed a rash about a fortnight ago, but no notice was taken of the matter, his parents being under the impression that his disease was nothing u;riou,j. Fourteen days after the development of the boy's j rasrh, the father, who is a cook, was I attacked in a similar though more serijous maimer. A doctor was called in to { attend to the father and immediately | diagnosed his case as a mild form of smallpox. A rash was just appearing on two of the other children, and accordingly the whole four were despatched to Point Chevalier. Every precaution was taken by the authorities to pevent the disease from spreading further. Dr Finch, who is at present in charge of the Auckland district, remarked that the cases, with the possible exoeption of the father, were of a very mild type, and therefore might easily have been mistaken for chickenpox. The origin of the new cases, he said', was so far untraceable, for the patients had been living some distance from any of the districts affected: previously. Dr I Finch added that vaccination was the j community's best safeguard against ! prolonging the epidemic. j Six oases .were reported from the lAhipara gumdigging settlement on the west coast on the far north.