EXCITEMENT OVER

Northern Advocate, 17 August 1933, Page 6

EXCITEMENT OVER

HAT ANA INCIDENT I s FOLLOWERS DISPERSED SLEEPING SICKNESS OUTBREAK. NO FURTHER CASES. INFI.TJENZA PREVALENT; (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) KAIKOHE, This Day. Yesterday’s excitement connected with the Maoris has now died down in Kaikohe, and no more has been seen of Ratana and his followers since they dashed away in a dust-cloud on the Mangakahia road. Yesterday afternoon several north-bound travellers met the band wending their way south. The fact that there are numerous eases of influenza in the Maori settlement, where a hui was held, made the Health Department authorities anxiows to go to almost any lengths to break up the gathering and prevent Ratana from bringing the Northern Maoris together. Very fortunately, the natives saw I reason, and the situation, which had all the prospects of becoming ugly, was well handled on both sides. The Maoris showed some resentment at being turned back, but the authorities were tactfully adamant and the baud gave up the idea of going further. As quickly as possible, police from Whangarei arrived after the band had turned back. AH Precautions Taken. Dr, Smith, of Rawene, said this morning that there was a lot of influenza in the district, more especially among the Maoris, although a number of Whites were also down with it. It was not known whether there was any connection between the influenza and the sleeping sickness outbreak, but the Health authorities were taking every precaution. That was why they were so anxious to prevent any further gatherings among the Maoris. All Pakeha functions have been stopped, and it intended to bring the Maoris into line. Last evening the Health Department officials visited the native settlement and discovered a large number of influenza cases,, and all steps are being taken to keep it in cheek.

Dr, Smith said that no further cases of sleeping sickness had been admitted to the Rawene Hospital, and there had been no further deaths. FOOTBALL REPS. PLAYERS FROM NORTH. ■SUGG ESTED EXCLUSION. Last night Dr. D. Cook, Medical Officer of Health, got hi to communication with the North Auckland Rugby Union, suggesting that players from the affected districts chosen to represent North Auckland against the Tokerau Maori team, should not be brought to Whangarei for the game on Saturday. Dr. Cook placed no absolute restriction, but remarked that the Ratana party had been disappointed because they had been prevented from continuing their football tour in the Far North. The Emergency Committee will consider the suggestion tonight. Consequently the North Auckland team may lie selected from the four southern counties.

NEWS CROSSES TASMAN. COMEDY COMPANY'S ALARM. REASSURANCE GIVEN. (Special to ‘‘Northern Advocate.") AUCKLAND, Wednesday. Alarming rumours of the outbreak of sleeping sickness at Kaikohe have apparently travelled across the Tasman, for Mr H. Baker, manager of. the musical comedy company which arrived on the Wanganella said that he had received a radiogram from his principals in Melbourne questioning the advisability of opening the New Zealand season in Auckland. Mr Baker and the leading lady of the company, Miss .Jennie -Jenson, an English artist, expressed their relief this morning when this disquieting news was contradicted, and Miss Jenson commented that she would be able to enjoy her breakfast before stepping ashore on her first New Zealand tour.

UNDUE ALARM. DEPRECATED BY DR. COOK. WHOLE POSITION EXPLAINED. (Special to "Northern Advocate.’’) KATKOHE, This Day. Pessimism and rumours which have spread throughout the Kaikohe and Rawene districts as a result of the outbreak of encephalitis (or sleeping sickness) are discounted by Dr. I). Cook, Medical Officer of Health for Northland,

The danger, he said this morning, was not so much in the present position as in future possibilities, taking into account (ho type of illness which is being experienced among Maoris. The actual position at present, is that seven cases of sleeping sickness have been notified. These have been carefully watched for the past three weeks, and the nature of the sickness was generally so mild that it was hard for a correct diagnosis to bo made. There have been two deaths, one white child dying in the Rawene Hos-

pital and a Maori child dying iu a native settlement. From the history of the latter case, it was concluded that death was caused by the sickness. Another white child is at present seriously ill in the It awe no Hospital,

No fresh cases had been reported since Sunday, said Dr. Cook, but the most alarming feature had been, and still was, the concurrent influenza type of epidemic from which most native settlements were suffering. It was possible, he said, that the influenza might be in the nature of a mild kind of encephalitis. Thus the main endeavour has been to restrict the infection as much as possible among the Maoris by prohibiting gatherings and their natural tendency to move about. “■So far it has been unnecessary to use the special powers conferred on me by the Minister” said Dr. Cook, “but it was necessary to get them to provide against contingencies.” There was a considerable amount of sickness among the Maoris at the Kaikohe settlement, and on account of that alone the breaking up. of gatherings would have been justified. Dr. Cook said he was going to Kaitaia to meet the local authorities and to make certain that there would be no Maori gatherings in the North. * A tribute to the manner in which the white population had co-operated voluntarily in giving up dances, football matches and other gatherings was paid by Dr. Cook. “That is the position at present,” he said, ‘ ‘ and I. am unable to give a definite opinion regarding the future trend for seven or ten days.”

EXCURSION PROHIBITED.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT’S BAN. SCHOOL CHILDREN DISAPPOINTED. The excursion of 100 school children from the Western Midland group to Auckland next week has been absolutely forbidden by the Health Department, and word to that effect was conveyed to those who were, going to make the trip today. After a great deal of organisation work, arrangements for the party’s departure by train on Monday had been completed. The schools in the group stretch from Maunu in the east to Tangiteroria, and northwards to Pakotai. None of the children concerned is resident in areas which have so far become affected, but evidently the danger of infection spreading from the Bay of Islands into the Mangakahia Valley has been taken into consideration by the Department. The programme planned for the children included a number of sporting fixtures with Auckland schools. It is understood that the Department is also advising cancellation of a visit from a party of Auckland, school children to the North during the holidays.

southward; round KATANA AND PARTY OVERNIGHT CAMP AT KOMENE IN WHANGAREI THIS MORNING . The Ratana party arrived at Komone, near Pakotai, yesterday evening - and camped for the night. The welcome from adherents in the Mangakahia district was limited to a few leaders. This morning the lorries came on to Whangarei, where Mr. Tinikitere, M.P., who has been travelling with Ratana, was farewelled. His wife and another person boarded the train with him at Whangarei. Three lorries and a ear belonging to the party later passed through Oakleigh. TARANAKI CASES EIGHT REPORTED THIS YEAR SYMPTOMS DESCRIBED (Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, This Day.

Dr. T. J. Hughes, medical officer of health, said that eight cases of the disease had been notified in tjie Taranaki district during April and May last, but none had proved fatal as far as he knew. Cases had occurred in different parts of New Zealand from time to time. There had been a “ doubtful” case in Auckland this year, and. the patient died. Two cases had been reported from the Waikato early in the year. In 1926 a number of cases had been notified in the Auckland health district, but, with the exception of five oases recently reported from the Hokianga district, the notifications had been rare. Four of the Northern eases were Maoris. In mild eases the dis- | ease was most difficult to diagnose. j

Dr. Hughes expressed the opinion that it was not wise for natives to travel to Rawene to the Eatana gathering that was being held there. “There is no need for anybody to be scared in the slightest degree,” he added. “The Health Department is taking stringent precautions in the North.” Nervous System Affected. Encephalitis lethargies, or epidemic encephalitis, classed under the head of general infectious diseases, is characterised by certain manifestations originating in the central nervous system. The progressive lethargy and stupor which are often present have given rise to the descriptive term “lethargies ” being applied the disease. The name “sleepy sickness,” which for the same reason is sometimes popularly used, is to bo deprecated, as it is apt to lead to confusion with the sleeping sickness of African countries, an entirely different malady. ' In a memorandum issued by tlib British Ministry of Health, it is that scattered through the medical

literature of the last , four or five cei turies are many-records of cases an epidemics that may possibly correspon to the various types of encephalit: lethargica now recognised. In some those records food poisoning of .on kind or another is suggested a9Cimpossible cause; but others are ass dated with accounts of catarrhal ep demies that have long been treated b medical historians as influenzal. , The first definite record of the db ease was given in a clinical an pathological study of 13 cases whig occurred at Vienna in 1917; >Durin March and April, 1918, a large numbe of cases of an obscure disease wei reported in England and inveSiiff

tions under the Medical Eesearc Council resulted not only in i 1 identification with the clinical font previously described in Vienna, bi also in the elucidation of encephalit lethargica as a distinct disease. I recent years the occurrence of the. di ease has been world wide. Most :( the countries of Europe, Asia, Axnerici Australia and New Zealand have bee affected by it to a greater or less,d< gree. The disease attacks persons.( all ages, w’ith a preference for tl early and middle periods o£ life, .an both sexes nearly equally.