INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 87, 12 April 1916, Page 6

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

CONDITIONS'. -TN. WATKAU HEALTH- DISTRICT.

SANITATION- MEASURES.

On the. invitationl of1 the ohainnsin, Dr J. F. Bennett,. acting ;»s health officer i'or the Wairanii district, addressed the- Hospital» and Charitable Aid Board on Monday on the subject of the-epidemic of infantile paradysis.

Dr Bennett said that,1 • so' far as .Blenheim and the surrounding district were concerned,, there had been »o direct occurrence'- of infantile paralysis. The efforts made" by the local health authorities to protect"the community'front visitation had bevn directed solely to the object of proventing tho introduction of -the disease i roiK other places. A small number of cases had been introduced, into the Board's district, where two had proved fatal, one death occurring at a private hospital. Two deaths had occurred at Picton. Dr Bennett particularised the cases, and explained the methods of segregation, isolation, and dismfectipn that had been adopted in regard to the patients, the quarters occupied by them, ami ail contacts and suspects. The Fact thau there had not yet been any local origination justified the< belief that. the precautionary measures taken had been adequate. We must not yot be over-sure that the community would escape a direct local outbreak; but it could be fairly regarded as a matter for congratulation that not one of the cases which had to be dealt with here was not placed under lock and key. It was also a matter' for congratulation that the epidemic was on the wane. He suggested that no pains should be spared to keep the streets clean. When the epidemic first visited this district he .immediately dissemina-teel through the press a warning as to the nature of the disease and information as to the best means lor individuals to adopt to protect rhep.selves. The germ was so serious because it was so resist an L; it did not seem possible to destroy ib by.-..'any known antiseptic. But it did not live in the presence of sunlight and air, and the cultivation of those. ■ factors ■ was highly important. If oases of directly local origin occurred vt. would be necessary, of course, tr> take more serious steps —probably along, the lines followed in Weliingtoi:, where theatres, schools,, and other public quarters were periodically disinfected. He mentioned that Mr J' Johnston:, health inspector, and himself 'had looked at some places in town which did not seem u> be as -sanitary as they ought u> be: One* or two back places m town were .worih keeping under observation. He thought, too, that it remained for the Borough Council to tighten up the regulations regarding th.it disposal «•: night-soil, the methods of dealing with which were too lax.

A member asked whether the absence of a. drainage system had any bearing on the matter. Di- Bennett said ■ that the disease that had been giving the most-wide-1 spread trouble was the epidemic jaundice, of which, there -had.been 400 or 000 cases: and i t could certainly be said that this was largely associated with the absence of proper drainage. He did not say thao the infantile paralysis was so flosely connected with it. The carrier of infantile paralysis was presumed to be the sajidfly'; if 11 existed in dust we would be dead long ago. 'Laughter.) At the moment it was not known absolutely ! what the carrier was. Jf we could get rid of the insect pest, if 'we eould_ stamp ■out/the fliesj more would .l>'o-.<lone;to got rid.-of. ■■'epidemic's rlian in any other way. The -proper treatment of night-soil, manure heaps, fly-breeding grounds, was an important consideration.

A member asked what stage of the disease it was a.t which iniautilo paralysis became contagious. Dr"Bennett said that some persons might be immune and yet act as carriers, having the germs m theback of the nose or throat. Attention should b?> i»iven to the secretions of the nose (mcl throat. It was ensy, to undoistand that the fireatliitig-. of a person with the. germ so secreted' would infect a railway carriage, for instance. However, it was easy to> protect oneself by using-; as lie liatl already suggesttd in tile press,, lorniHinint, antiseptic tablets,, a. fyiinging solution., and so. on. He had sieeii io suggested tha.t these preparations should be snuffed up thenose and not syringed.: But he -hadl i?evei yet been able to convince a (ihild a'few mouths old that the riglifc ill ing to do Avas to snuff up the- nose. (Laughter.) The chairman mentioned' that the Borough Council had: already- taken steps to provide for the systematic iemova-1 of ail uight-soil. Th>- chairman remarked' that the Department's regular clis! I'ict health otficer had evidently forgotten the oxisteu.ee of Blenheim.

It wax stated that, Dr Bemwti: tratl the authority io act as the health cfficei. It was under that authority thai, iu> had the private hospital at whicli, the fatal. case occxu-retl closed ■mi.l isolated.

The fact was mentioned that 400 rases ot infantile paralysis had recurred 'at M;u\ern t with a popnlnt.iun of 4000.

After further disc-ussiwn with .!>r Bennett, it was resolved to ii.sk L!m (i(K;ii)is in ihe- district io notify all suspicions rmses, with a view to the assurance of the promptest and most effective isolation in^the event of the ocuirre-nee of infantile paralysis.

Reference was made to the insanitary condition of ditches in the borough, and Dr Bennett' suggested in tins connectica the use of a strong oxegynating agent, such as hypeioxygonating agent, shell as hyperchlorato vil \}L-.ne —which might be found to bo not prohibitively costly. The. chaiii:;a.iY undertook to lay before Uie Borough Council the question of giving a stricter eye to back premises, collections of rubbish, drains, ditches, etc., He remarked thai- Mr Johnston, the sanitary inspector, had been very busily engaged of. late, :uid it might. \w •neucsssarj to give iiim assistance.