SCHOOLS CLOSED IN HOKIaNGA COUNTY

Northern Advocate, 11 March 1948, Page 4

SCHOOLS CLOSED IN HOKIaNGA COUNTY

SCHOOLS in the Hokianga county have been officially closed, but Maunu was the only school in the Whangarei district which was not open today. , ~ . , Advice was received yesterday afternoon by the medical superintendent of the Hokianga Health Service (Dr G. M. Smith) from the Minister of Health (Miss Howard) that she had agreed to the closing of all schools in the county.

This means that restrictions previously in force will be reimposed, attendance of children at public functions as well as at schools being prohibited. ANOTHER SUSPECT An adult suspect was admitted to the Hokianga Hospital at Rawene. There are now four positive eases and one suspect in the hospital. The Bay of Islands Hospital at Kawakawa has only one positive case and no suspects.

Dr Smith stated that unless Whangarei parents agitated, as had parents in Hokianga. for the closing of schools in an effort to prevent the spread cf the disease they would be very foolish. He maintained that all schools should be closed and other restrictions, which had applied when the first cases of the disease were notified, should be reimposed. NO FURTHER RESTRICTIONS

No restrictions are likely to be applied in the Whangarei district following the development of one positive case of infantile paralysis in the area, said the Medical Officer of Health for Northland (Dr J. L. Newman) today. Following the occurrence of a case in (hat district yesterday the Maunu School had been closed on his authority. The Maunu Children’s Health Camp was at present closed, this not having been reopened following the closing at the commencement of the present epidemic.

Dr Smith said he welcomed the Minister’s decision. Such action should have been taken a week ago. APPEAL TO ADULTS

“Now that the schools are closed in Hokianga, if adults would keep away from pictures and out of buses for three weeks infantile paralysis would probably not spread in Hokianga,” he said this morning.

"Adults must realise,” he said, “that they can be, and often are, carriers of the virus.” ADVICE TO WHANGAREI “I would advise the people of Whangarei to close their schools “This action should be taken at once, and should not be left until further cases possibly occur,” said Dr Smith, when commenting on the reporting of a positive case of poliomyelitis in Whangarei yesterday.

Dr Newman said he was surprised to read of the closing of schools in the Hokianga area. KAITAIA CONSULTATION

Dr Rowatt Brown, physio-therapist, of Auckland, is flying to Kaitaia tomorrow to consult with the medical superintendent of the Kaitaia Public Hospital (Dr J. H. Webber) regarding the future treatment of the eight-year-old girl, who is still in the iron lung at the hospital. Dr Webber reported this morning that the patient continues to make satisfactory progress, and was yesterday out of the respirator for short periods. There is a possibility of her being transferred to Auckland for physiotherapy .treatment, for which apparatus is not available in the North.