160 Influenza Cases From Burnham Camp

Northern Advocate, 10 November 1939, Page 4

160 Influenza Cases From Burnham Camp

[Per Press Association. Copyright ] CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Over 160 influenza cases from the Burnham Military Camp are being treated in the Christchurch or Bottle Lake Hospitals. To allay anxiety, a statement has been made by the chairman of the hospital board (Mr L. B. Evans), and the chairman of the hospital committee (Sir Hugh Acland). “The influenza epidemic in the Burnham Camp is fortunately of a mild character,” says the statement. “But a large number of men have been affected. “The camp hospital has been able to deal with a number of trivial cases, but where the illness is such as to render a longer period of treatment necessary the patients are being transferred to Christchurch.” There will be tonight in the Christchurch Hospital 81 soldier patients and a similar number in the Bottle Lake Hospital, the latter being patients suffering from a milder form of the disease. “In only two cases have there been any serious symptoms and no deaths have occurred,” continues the statement. “It is hoped that the majority of the patients will be discharged within a week to 10 days. “The men will be fit to return to duty in a short time.”

President Roosevelt conferred for three hours with the head of the Committee for Industrial Organisation (Mr J. L. Lewis) and the head of the American Federation of Labour (Mr William Green;, requesting that the two bodies resume peace talks: Mr Lewis later declared his readiness for talks, but Mr Green declined to comment.