Kamo, Ngararatunya Schools Are Closed

Northern Advocate, 30 November 1948, Page 5

Kamo, Ngararatunya Schools Are Closed

COMMITTEES TAKE ACTION

DESPITE advice to the contrary by Dr J. L. Newman, medical officer of health for Northland, the Kamo and Ngararatunua school committees have closed their schools. This action is the sequel to the death in the Whangarei Hospital on Saturday night of a 12-year-old girl from infantile paralysis and the presence in the same institution of a boy, also a pupil of the Kamo School.

The boy resides at Ngararatunua and has travelled to Kamo on the school bus.

Since the last case in the district, the attendance at the schools declined, until last Friday less than 50 pen cent of the Kamo School pupils were present. The committee decided over the week-end to close the school, but was unable to notify parents. FEW ATTEND Only 20 children arrived yesterday morning and they were sent home. The Kamo and Ngararatunua committees were influenced by the opinion of the majority of parents that the schools should be closed. The Kamo chairman (Mr G. Elliott) conducted the Auckland Education Board this morning. The board simply drew his attention to the opinion of Dr Newman.

However the schools are to remain closed in the meantime.

Only one pakeha pupil was present at the Ngararatunua School on Friday, but all Maori children attended.

PUBLIC FEELING VERY STRONG “Public feeling was becoming very strong on the matter,” said Mr A. E. Bedggood, secretary of the Ngararatunua school committee.

“One of the two children who had contracted the disease had travelled on the bus, which carried between 50 and GO children to the school. “Guided by public opinion, the committee had decided to close the school. “Although we only have the power to close it for three days, we have done what we can," said Mr Bedggood. “We have wired the Education Board for instructions.

“Only three weeks of the school term remain, and we feel our action will be worthwhile if it saves a child from getting the disease. “The little bit of schooling that will be missed is nothing. It is better to play safe.” “SCHOOLS SHOULD REMAIN OPEN” “I still think the schools should remain open,” said Dr Newman, when interviewed at his home in Kamo this morning.

“I offered to meet the Kamo school committee on Sunday evening, but it decided to close down without meeting me. I am now out of the picture and I have nothing further to say on the matter.”

Dr Newman's first reason for the keeping open of the schools was the fact that all children in the schools have been exposed to infection and the closing of the institutions now would not diminish the risks. “This is the only instance, as far as I know, in Northland where a single or second case has developed through school contact, in spite of the fact that, in many cases, children known to have suffered from the disease have attended school,” Dr Newman added. CLOSING IS HARMFUL “Closure of schools has been tried in many countries in the world, and has everywhere been abandoned as useless as a method of control, except in certain particular circumstances, which do not arise in the case of Kamo school.

“There have been three cases travelling from Ngararatunua to Kamo, only one of which became a notified case. The other two are now regarded as having been suspects,” Dr Newman said.

“As a matter of fact,” he added, “I think school closing is positively harmful, because as long as the children are attending school, those absent through ill-health can be followed up by the health authorities. “The closing of schools also tends to focus the attention of the public on the child, when we know that the adolescent and adult are just as likely to spread the disease.” DEATHS AT GISjBORNE

GISBORNE, Tue. (P.A.) A two-and-a-half-year-old Maori child from Tikitiki, diagnosed as a positive case of poliomyelitis last- week-end, died this morning.

A nine-year-old child from Ruatoria area died from the same disease on Friday.

Dr A. G. Butchers, headmaster of the Education Departments correspondence school, returned to Auckland by Skymaster today. He represented New Zealand at the second international conference on correspondence education at Lincoln, Nebraska. The Rev. W. Bower Black, Minister of St. David’s Presbyterian Church. Auckland, returned by air today from a visit to Australia.