INFLUENZA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 277, 18 November 1918, Page 4

INFLUENZA

HOSPITAL REPORT

EPIDEMIC IN NELSON

LOCAL AUTHORITIES ACTIVE. The local authorities are doing everything in their power to combat the spread of the disease. The fever ward at the Hospital being full of influenza patient, the men's ward was cleared' yesterday for the accommodation of fresh cases, the patients being accommodated in a large marquee kindly lent by the Anglican Church authorities. Extra beds, with bedding, have been procured from the Mental Hospital.

The Chief Postmaster (Mr H. D. ] Grocott), at the request of the Mayor, | very considerately kept the Telephone Exchange open all day yesterday for the convenience of the local doctors and others who had business connected with the present epidemic. In response to the Mayor's appeal, a bonsifclerablie quantity 'of lemonsi hjos been received. Several boxes were shipped to Wellington on Saturday by the Nikau. At a meeting held at Richmond on Saturday, it was decided to ask the Agricultural; and Pastoral Association to place the new grandstand at Richmond Park at the disposal of the authorities as a temporary hospital for serious cases. . More voluntary workers are required. All those who volunteered last week have been placed in houses where the inmates are down with the disease, and are doing splendid work. The captain of the steamer Karu was removed to the Hospital to-day, suiferine from influenza. • There i« a general disinfection ol shops going on. ' Householders are urged to clean np backyards. Cleanliness counts at the present 'time. The power sprayer will be kept going from day to day. This machine covers a big area in the course of a day. Ditches are being given a doeA in.£j .as well as streets and footpaths. The arrangements made for volunteer help are working well. Some Bor 10 'families in the city are at present being assisted byj volunteers. Many offers to do invalid cooking have been received. A number of car owners are giving the use of their cars for various purposes in connection with the epidemic.

Mr Board. Chairman, is devoting the whole of his time to epidemic work. The Mayor is also "busy in various matters arising out of the epidemic and is displaying his customary energy. A trained hospital orderlyi has offered his services for duty at the hospital, and the offer has been accepted. The Municipal Buildings were thoroughly disinfected throughout yesterday. The inhalation chamber at the Municipal' Buildings continues to be visited ,bvi large numbers. There is a steady stream of caller s all day. There was a great rush on Saturday afternoon. The public are asked to remember •that doctors and nurses are having a strenuous time just now and that they are entitled to. all the consideration possible.

TWO DOCTORS DOWN; Dr Beitt and Dr' McKillop (Superintendent of the Mental Hospital), are down with the disease.

Dr Jamiesen will attend to as many of Dr Bett's patiens as possible. Dr Mac Hay, ex-Hospital Surgeon, will itakelthe Hospital out-patients, and will also stand byi at the Hospital. Dr Jamieson will keep in close touch with the Hospital; '•' * *' .-•-.--

MANY PNEUMONIC CASES.

The following letter, dated yesterday, has 'been forwarded by 'Dr. Jamieson, Hospital Surgeon, ' to _ Mr T. = Neale, Chairman of the Hospital Board: in order to .give you some clear idea of the state of matters as "regards the epidemic-and the which in the rush of ithe last "two days it has not been easyi to get, I have made the following brief resume of the influenza oases, to time of writing. ■■■ Admitted in all from the time of the •firs*' admission from the Kakapo, 44 cases—-39 men, 5 ■ women!, (the latter including the_two worses who were firs* put on <io nurse the Kakapo men, who have since gone 3own). Of the 44 ad» miiasions 3 died; 5 3iave been discharged and • the balance remain. '

Of the 44, 25 have \ had pneumonia; 7 have '"had- severe' abdominal symptoms (pain, vomiting, diarrhoea,); 3 have had inflamation of the kidneys) y Jhave not been severely all (chiefly Kakapo and Karu men). The deaths, and the presently anxious cases are all, so far, of people' who are in some i-espeot in a dopre&sed state of health ; previous chest trouble, previous circulatory disease, and intemperance beinjr the most notable conditions predisposing' to severity of the disease. .

In the fatal'cases the germs of ordinary pneumoiya, _ and the commons germs of sepitic conditions were present in the sputum in addition to the'germs of influenza. Itak it that the sudden onslaught of a virulent influenzal infection .lays the way open to further,"infection bvi those other organisms which have been .p.Vesent, though 'ah abeyance. •Of" the cas>*~"at present in. fiv e are dangerously ill, 13 are progressing favourably and the remainder are sufficiently ill' ficib "to be able to cayc how tilings may ""go.

STATURE X).F THE DISEASE. : On Saturday the Mayor received the telegram from the Minister of Public Health in reply to the request from the' public meeting on Thursday, night as to the nature of the disease: '"I have pleasure iri forwarding you ithe following report by the Government bacteriologist. Major Hurley ' 'The epidemic is due to true influenza bacillus as known to science, but there are three types of tho disease mainly produced by it in the present epidemic. In the first typo influenza baccilli are the prgnaisms that are mainly present. These are the mild cases. In the second type, influenza bacil'.S are present, but as a rule they are not so numerous as the organisms of pneumonia which are also present. Thi i a mot everc type of infection and relape frequently occur. The third type presents .both the organisms an'd other pathodemic organisms that are commonly present m are also presenlt. This is a most sovero types. In some severe cases of this type' a septo diplococcus occurs that has been present in New Zealand forthe last three years at least."

HOTELS, 'CLUBS, AND BBEW- -"•■ EBIES CLOSED.

r TILL FURTHER, NOTICE

Mr T. Neale. chairman of the Hospital Board, received ' the following telet ram from the : Health : : Department on aturday': "It havir% been vdeter*min■ed f 'that' all hotel''"'baxs, •chartere.d dub bam." breweries"/• aii3.-'-wholesale - wine

and spirit premises are to close until further notice, it is your duty to arrange for supplies of alcohol tb bo obtained in order that it may be available'to the public of your district on medical prescription. Please take action accordingly, either through the board l itself or through the respective local authorities of your ' hospital district. These instructions apply only to cities, boroughs, and town districts) and promisee withiu a radius of three miles of their respective boundaries. l l he charge for alcohol, except in charitable necessitous cases, will be fixed at an amount to repay cost of purchase and-'distribu-tion." On receipt of the above telegram Mr Neale informed those concerned of the action thafc had been taken.

WARNING AGAINST LIQUOR. A local doctor, in conversation with a Mail reporter, said it slioufd be .made known that alcoholics had only a slender chance of recovery if attacked by pneumonia. It was very seldom indeed that a person addicted to alcohol survived an attack of pneumonia, and this fact should be made 'known as a warning. . •

'MEETING- AT WAKEFIELD,

SERIOUS POSITION AT GLENHOPE.

At a meeting in Wakefield on Saturday evening the following resolution was forwarded to Mai T'. A, H. OFcld, M.P., vdz:— .?

'That this meeting of Wakefield citizens desires to call the attention of the Health Department to the fact that persons are travelling daily from West Coast, a highly infected area, via Glenhope to Nelson and there is no •means of disinfection at Glenhope and that there i s urgent need of steps bein.£j taken to curtail passenger traffic from West Coast ito Nelson, which is as yet fairly immune from the epi"?x e r mic ",-, Thafc the infection.-comes- from West Coast is evidenced by the "fact that 21 out of 2A- resident's, at Glenhope are down with-influenza, and also it is reported that so far these patients have 4-eceived no medical attention whatever and that some measure of reJief should be accorded them." Mr T. A. H. Field, MIP., has received a copy of the resolution, and lias telegraphed it on to the Minister. '

'ALCOHOLICS istaFFiER , ACUTELY.*

t> J-,^ e ever been v ery keen about Prohibition," said Mr William Foster, captain of the Wellington East' Health District (and headmaster of the Clyde Quay School) to a Dominion reporter, but jf I had my way I would, close up every hotel in -the Dominion straight away. It's all very well' for' people to hum and.lia over' the •■pros arid' cons of tliat business, but ' if 'they 'could see what our voluntary, workers have Been in the last day or" two they would have no doubts, about the urgency off the case. Alcoholics suffer acutely, and it is something terrible to; see men coming home in liquor with desperate cases of influneza in the house. As everyone knows, many of the houses in the city are cruelly overcrowded, and a proportion of the people are either drinking through fright or for drinking's sake, and so are rendering it difficult, for on© to cope with' the disease. Men : in liquor are often ' and will not do the essential' thing, and womow in some cases are as bad as tho men. ■ My committee feel so strongly upon tliis matter, as one of ■extreme [urgency, that they passed the following resolution: "The committee assisting in the Wellington ; East Public. Health District unanimously resolve that it is imperative in■-the; interest •of public health that the hotels should be closed'. Tho personal experience of- the members of tlie. Committee dunng their-labotfrn have absolutely convinced them of tho necessity" of this; step '" ■•" ,

POSITION IMPROVES AT AUCKXAND. There is now no doubt that the jivfluenza epidemic is abating in Auckland, saye Friday's Herald. Yesterday the position was uhques'tipnabry and at all the hospitals . the. opinion was expressed that there was 110 comparison between tho ''severity of tho cases admitted yesterday and those received in the earlier part of the. week. A total' of 24 deaths occurred at the various hospitals between 'riidnight on Wednesday and 11 o'clock last night;*•' Generally the condition of the patients in hospital is'good 1 , and: the, number reaching a _ convalescent stage' w appreciably growing. TO PREVENT* INFECTION. The great risk of infection attendant upon crowding in public places was again emphasised by Dr Frengley at Auckland.' Referring specially to the question: of shopping, he said) 1 "In these times one would cxpoct that'women would reduce, shopping in drapery and soft goods to a minimum. I cannot say that such is being curtailed to the degree that the occasion demands. I appeal to all reasonable women to. do so, and I leave tho other unreasonable members,; if any, to flout common-eenso precautions. It should be possible; for largo shops to so control' the doors; that no large number of the public wi2l at' any time. congregate inside tho , premises. It is far better for to Avait a little time: outside in, tho open air than inside, whore the less pure. I expect such a step,*o W taken, at least as regards the larger or more frequented establishments. 1. cannot directly control the movements, ot women coming from homes, possipiy_;» Jwhich someone is ill' or tecovewnfe,. bufc I do not want to leave any l°^k°]* o *°£ a recrudescence l of . # dfceaae; because things appear, however slightly, to 08 moving towards, normal ' agam.

STATEMENT BY POSTMASTERO'ENERAIi.

Sir Joseph Ward, Postmaster-General, reports that telegraph staffs arc noW so seriously depleted- by the prevailing epidemic that U'is necessary to materially reorganise the work. In fXncesr he has determined for the «ake lof not breaking faith c > by accepting telegrams which theio is J chance of dispatching in. reiisonablo time, that only .■telegrams of great mcency concerning accident m | death, or concerning actual movements of steamers, trains, or coaches are to be accepted for the present. In of dispute as the importance of, telegrams presented', the Superintendent. | the Assistant-Superintendent, > the. post- ' master, the supervisor, or the senior counter-clerk will decide finally. ... . < i The Postmaster-General has determined also to close all' post and tejcr ciaph officer which at present close later than 5 p.m.. for the. day at that "These restrictions will bo Removed at the earliest possible moment.

ORANGES ANPtEMONS. - A Gazette Extraordinary issued Son [Friday night contains an 1 CH'der-in-Coun-cii" fixing the -maximum wholesale and retail prices of '-oranges ,and ; lemons' m New Zealand. The schedule states :~- "The maximum ' wholesale PV'°? ' ' J, I New Zealand of •c-ranges- and lemons; of the" best quality shall be SJrd I for/each orange or lemon j and that'the maxirtntm wholesale price ' in New. Zealand. t of and'lemons of & '«&• nest quality '■ -tftatt l be * tfcevtttoM*

ard wholesale price of oranges and lemons of 'the same quality as on November 1, 1918,'■ but not exceeding in any case 2a<L for each, orange or lemon. -.. "The maximum retail price in NewZealand of oranges and lemons of the best quality shall be 3d for each orange or lemon ; and the maximum retail price in New Zealand of oranges and lemons of. a quality inferior fd the best qualit shall be the standard Tetail price of oranges and lemons of the same quality as •on November 1, 1918 ,but not exceeding in any case 3d. for each orange or lemon. ■"ln order to prevent dealers in fruit refusing to sell at tnese prices a wa*>rant has been issued to all officers of police and persons acting under their direction to seize and take possession on behalf of His Majesty of all oranges and lemons within the City of Wellin£rtm and the boroughs. If a dealer in fruit, refuses to sell to any person at or under the maximum price, such person 5s reauested to communicate at once with the police, in order that immediate steps may be taken against the offender.

DISINFECTING DWELLINGS.

OFFICIAL SUGGESTIONS.

Suggestions for effectively' disinfecting dwellings Tiave been issued by Dr. J. P. Frengley, acting-chief health officer, and householders are requested to take immediate steps to clean their homes of germs, whether influenza has been present or not. Any of the following alternative precautions may be used:— *'-(l) Formalin solution—one part with 20 parts of water, and spray room thoroughly. An ordinary garden spray pump may be used for this purpose. (2) Four to six pounds of sulphur to be burnt in the room. Get an old kerosene tin, fill it up near to top with garden soil or ashes. Put the sulphur on the soil or ashes. Pour a tablespoonful of methylated spirit or whisky on the ami set alight with a match. Make sure when the sulphur is aflame that it cannot burn anything in vicinity. This can best be done by standing the kerosene tin in a large galvanised iron tub or in a bedroom basin. (3) Burn plenty of sulphur candles in the room. In all cases the room should- first have all windows and doors closed. If there is a fireplace, block up the aperture by ramming newspapers over the opening. Other openings may be closecl bv nasting paper over holes and cracks with ordinary starch paste. After anv of the above means of fumigation have been used in the room it should be kept closed for at least four hours, or as lontj as possible. Above all. after room must have a soring cleaning, in which nothing can be better than «oao, water, and a scrubbing-brush, well and thoroughly applied.

THE CAMPS

FORTY-ONE DEATHS SINCE SATURDAY. (United Press Association-) WELLINGTON, This Day. Since Saturday forty-one deaths have been notified at Feattierston, Trentham, and Awapuni camps. WIDESPREAD AT OAMARU. BUT FEW SEVERE CASES. OAMARU, This Day. Influenza is widespread here, but" is generally of a mild type, though there are a few severe cases in hospital. Four deaths are reported. Two of the cases were taken off through trains in advanced stages. j Energetic measures have been taken ; to combat the disease, a large hall being . fitted up as a supplementary hospital in case one is needed. WELLINGTON POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE. WELLINGTON, This Day. There are one hundred and fifty absentees from the Post Office this morning, 41 being postmen. In. the Telegraph and Telephone Departments 202 are absent. POSITION AT AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, Nov. 16. As -the duration of the epidemic has lengthened, caring "for convalescents has become a big problem. The organis- ] ation of helpers is being extended to j cover this phase of work, as well as the | upply of food and other requiite in- j case of distress. A WANGANUI RESOLUTION. WANGANUI, (Nov. 16. I A conference of repreentatives _ of local bodies decided to ask the Minister I of Public Health to close all hotel and club bars in this district. WANGANUI PRECAUTIONS. WANGANUI, : Nov. 15. In* view of the influenza epidemic, the Borough Council has recommended that churches do not open on- Sunday. The- council is making all possible arrangements, and •will increase the number of inhalation! .chambers. A few deaths have been reported, principally of natives. A temporary hospital is beng "opened. " There are many cases in the town, but so far the outbreak generally is not of a severe nature. EPIDEMIC STILL RAGING AT i HAMILTON. HAMILTON, Nov. 15. Influenza still rages. The Hospital and a temporary hospital are crowded, and there are cases in practically every home The relief workers are doing splendid work. All shops except essential ones, such as bakers, butchers, etc., have closed until Monday next. There have been several further deaths. PREVALENCE AT WESTPORT. WESTPORT. Nov. 17. On account of the prevalence of influenza, the watersiders have decided Ur auspend work till Thursday. There are fourteen cases m the Hospital, including Dr Manwn,. the mescal superintendent, and Captain Vesta, master of a steamer. - . ~ Three deaths have occurred in t&e distS. Whole families are stncken, and voluntary nurses are renderm o dislocation there is hardly any flour in town, and _Uie bakers state that they will not be able to keep up the supply of *«»* *°* more than a few days unless supplies of flour are obtained.