SAMOAN GARRISON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 280, 21 November 1918, Page 4

SAMOAN GARRISON

OUTBREAK OF INFLUENZA. (United Press Association.) WELLINGTON 1 , This Dijy. . The Samoa, garrison will be demobilised' as soon {is possible. ' ut Influenza has broken out there, audi is spreading. Assistance "h.is been cabledi for, but oannot bo spared from New Zealand, anj the Minister is trying to arrange for medical aid front Sydney. WELLINGTON, Tliie Day! Instructions that the Sanioan garrison is to be demobilised as pooii as possible have been isstied' by the 'Minister. §ir James Allen' adds that "in tlws a garrison must |?e kept* for necessary duty, but 'as maijiy men as pqeeible jy^u|d : b$ at as <Sarly a. itaxe ,v as' possifcle. UnfoEiunateiy*.'

influenza has broken out in a bad form, and the authorities there had cabled for assistance. He is trying to obtain necessary- assistance from Sydney. AT THE CAMPS. FALL IN THE DEATH-RATE. BACK OF EPIDEMIC CONSIDERED BROKEN. WELLINGTON, This Day. Thirteen more soldiers' deaths are* reported, but the cases in camp are greatly reduced. At Featherston there are 566 in hospital, 97 being serious; at Trentham there aro 1493 in hospital, 97 being serious - While more deaths may be expected, the death-rate has fallen largely, and the back of the epidemic is considered broken. Reports from the town hospitals are to the same effect. .ANY DEATHS DUE TO RELAPSE. PATIENTS CrET UP TOO SOON. WELLINGTON, This Day. The doctors state that quite a proportion of the deaths are due to relapse, through patients getting "up too soon, believing that hey are on the mend, which is the most dangerous phase of the disease. Mr Russell has issued instructions that temporary hospital* mav established in the country districts, under conditions laid'down, and the Government •will be responsible for equipping and maintaining them.

AWAPUNT CAMP CLEAR OF DISEASE. WELLINGTON, This Day. Awapuni Camp is clear of disease, There is only one seriouscase at Palmerston. SITUATION AT HOKITIKA. HOKITIKA, This Day. The epidemic for the, week ending yesterday has carried off four "town residents, including one returned soldier, six. countrji residents, a'fTd one visitor. For the sam.e period two town and two county residents died outside Westland.. The epidemic is now worse in the county. Only one medical man is available for the whole of Westland, and his services are confined to the town, where the local and auxiliary hospitals are situated. The medical stuuent sent to assist here had to go to bed immediately on arrival with the complaint.^ It is considered that qualified medical advice for the county patients would be of great value at this stage, and representations liave been mafie to the •Government. The local organisations include a. fine boUy of willing workers, -who are assisting the authorities e\ ery way possible. CASES LESS VIRULENT AT GREY* « MOUTH. GREYMOTJTH, This D?y. A relief train visited the Otira lineMany serious cases were disclosed, and four bad cases were brought in to the Hospital- One expired on the journey. Three were exceptionally severe, and unable to bo moved. Business places are further closed till the end of the week. . There "will "be no church services on Sundav. , i , „„f There are many fresh cases, but not so virulent. POSITION CONSIDERED WELL IN HAND. CHRISTCHU RCH, This Day. Influenza, patients adinitted to the hospitals' yesterday numbered 55, and these figures, the cer considers the position well m land. The block system of medical ser\xce has been inaugurated. To-day's deaths include Mr D. Men dersOn, horse trainer, of Wingatui, has been here race*?. DECLINE AT AUCKLAND.

AUCEXtAND,.This Day. There is a gradual decline in e severity of the epidemic. day the hospitals from midnight °» Tues<lai to ten last night totalled fourteen. MEN being* RELEASED from -■ camp. WELLINGTON. This DayMen are now being released from the camps as fast as the doctors can "ive them a clean bill of •health. ° Provision for transport, ho J ev % affecting the repatriation of -9 utQ Islanders. THE SERUM. WELLINGTON, This D a>\ thousand dose s of serum,_said to !be 'successfully used in Australia have teen ordered and particulars asked fpr to ascertain if it can be manufactured 'here. SUPREME COURT OFFICES. WELLINGTON. Nov. 20. JAn Order i«L- Council authorises fndtres to ordeiT the office of the Supreme Court at any place to be closed \ for any period not exceeding one week a time in t'he event of the present j or any* future epidemic rendering it a<i- ] visable. BRIGHTER CONDITIONS AT GKEYMOUTH. • GREYMOUTH, Nov. 20. The position, which looked most serious a few 3avs ago, now seems brighter. The hospitals arc still taxed to the utmost, fcut the dangerously ill list shows only about six cases. Five .deaths have taken place since yesterday. A special train ran on the Otira line to-day, accompanied by willing helpers. to briug any serious cases to town. Factories and certain business places re-optn to-morrow. FUMIGATION OF STEAMERS. WELLINGTON, This Day. .There was no 6teamer to ; Lytteltoii last night, as the crews for the Hincmoa and Tutanekai could not be obtained. The Mararoa goes South to-night. At emergency meetings the Executive of the Federated Seamen's Union today resolved that for the -purpose of conserving the health of the men of the qaently cleaned . out,prior to the seafor not less than 24 hours, and subsemercantile marine, all living - quarters oil ships should be properly fumigated men's going or taking ships to sea. 'A committee was set up tocarry out the terms of the resolution and supervise the fumigation and cleaning. PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES IN AUSTRALIA. (Press Association Copyright.) (Rec. i 1.15 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. As a precautionary measure virulent influenza* has bfeen proclaimed a notifiable disease.

PREPARING INVALIDS* FOOD.

BUSY SCENE IN THE WELLINGTON TOWN HALL. One of the busiest spots in Wellington during the present trying time is the kitchen in the Town Hall, where 1 food is 'being prepared in wholesale quantities for distribution to needy and where also contribu- ! tions from outside are> handed in, 1 classified, and repacked in readiness to meet the never-failing demand. The kitchen is in charge of the Mayoress and her faithful committee, who have cheerfully switched from their war efforts, so willingly- and consistently performed for four years, to battle against the invisible foe amongst us. Soup, barley water, jellies—these are the standard foodg for bad cases of _ influenza. It is unwise for a patient with any suspicion of temperature to eat anything that makes demands upon the digestive organs, so the endeavour is being made to furnish nour-. ishing clear soups, refreshing and strengthening barley water, and jellies for cases in need of them. There is no cessation of work the long day through—only sufficient time to snatch a snack and drink a cup of tea. for the stream of applicants is never-ending. The Town "Hall is not the only place where the good fight is Wing fought. In each district bureau there is an invalid food department, as well as a medicine and disinfectant department. and applicant-; may obtain practically what- they please for nothing on proving that their case is genuine. Voluntary workers are doing- splendid work in attending to these activities, which unguestionably (in conjunction with those of the volunteers who visit patients) must be the means of saving a good many lives.

A LEADING PRINCIPLE. LITTLE ATTEMPT AT ISOLATION. [ The chief cause of the rapid spread ol" the epidemic im Wellington," said an officer of the Health Department, "is the comparatively little heed people are paying to the * principle of isolation. How can it. surprise anyone when you see hundreds of cases in houses and hotels and board inghouses where no attention is being paid to isolating the case, and where everyone in "the house saunters in and out of the room in which tli patient lies, without dreaming of the risk they are taking of infection? Few people think of hanging a disinfecting sheet where the door should be, yet the malady is far more contagious than half a dozen infectious diseases are where such ordinary precautions are insisted upon. How caw a wife help catching the disease if she insists on inhabiting the same room as her suffering husband? It would be a miracle if she did not become infected. ■Children, too, are allowed to invade the sick room, as though the patient only had a cold or a sore foot. It wou.d be far better if parents would send the children out into the open street or the nearest recreation ground anything to keep them away from the house. "Wellington is now paying for her overcrowded , state. Yesterday we found some twelve or fifteen Assyrians crowded into one tiny little place in Haning Street a hovel, reeking with humanity. One of them was taken' awav im a bad state, and died. Is it any wonder if the others develop the disease In another place we found a man in a maniacal condition in the same room with a child in a dying state. If such condition* are to prevail, and people will be stupid enough to encourage contagion, I am a / I ' i V we have not reached' the worst of the epidemic yet. In a few places we hay e visited people have had' the een-e take precautions. but- such are in a distinct minority." danger of infection.

PATIENT TO PATIENT ONLY. Lieutenant-Colonel Makgill, ActingDistrict Health Officer, at Wellington an interesting statement m reference the danger of infection from those nursing influenza patients. He said (according to the Dominion) that some people seemed fcc ho!!ficontact with attendants, from the hospi tals would cause infection. As a matter of fact, he pointed out, there is no Chnical evidence that the disease ravried bv a third person. All agree that the transmission of the infection is directly from one patient to anothe . The organisms carrying the disease ie very Tapidly, and those working in la Watories experience the greatest dafSTn obtaining live cultures. Such IfffleStv i° due °to tl,o rapid.ty which the organisms die SHtaVlhe dSthei of tho.e iu <*»- ss%h ssr v A patient m . j mav sca tter or'p>°m - Beyond that .there is little harm. desire Dr Makgill. expressed a giea■ that the public should b p> notified that there wMUc dap,«r fectiop through , tact CO uld not handling patient®. known when be too well towards there was a slight tenaen v panic. '

USE RESPIRATORS. ... VOLUOTAM~SIjra«3 SHOUI-B Respirator, are i^fectS many voluntary wisc indeed a nepreimses, and it i~ * h a ] lOU ld be cessary precaution erne d, if they neglected by none w.ltli says the S if h to i' .f V Dominion. The all d a rator i- s a ol^ , w ;tli a little eucapad of ol C 1 0 { t tOI1 T he o °pad should be placed lyptus on it- in I nostrils, and held over the mouth d , round there by tying the co mfortably the head. One k iralor . for an hour or so m-An-t

"HEROES OF PEACE." -YPPEAL FOR MORE TEERS"So far as this city is concerned and lam informed that Ahe same .i, e Voltains all over tli e Dominion, imtarv and self-sacrificing work « hictt i, being dune by tho,;e engaged in fighting the epidemic is l> e >ond praise," said the Minister of Pubic Health. "The same spirit has animated the people throughout war >s being shown now b_v both men and women iu fighting this chseae , ai;d it affords one more proof mat. peace has its heroes as well as war. would, however, add one more appeal to women whose positions and rela tionships enable them to do so to undertake work in connection with the hospitals. I may say that bv the use of respirators the Tisk of infection is now practically reduced to a minimum. Fifty respirators have teen from the Defence Department and 200 more have been ordered. I need hardly add that tlios<> who are unable to personally take part in the campaign ■can render most, valuable service by forwarding to the various hospitals edits of beef tea. -lemon water, barley water. brotK, and sucli like."

AFRICAN EPIDEMIC.

APPALLING DEATH-ROLL.

I CAPETOWN, Oct. 31. The death roll of the influenza epidemic in South Africa will never be accurately known. Burials in the recognised cemeteries -can be traced, but many persons, of necessity,, have been interred in all sorte of places. Evens in the cemeteries relatives have dug graves and buried their own dead. Some idea of the magnitude of the calamity can be gained from the fact that almost every village has sustained! losses. For example, besides Capetown's 7500 victims and Kimberley's 4500 known deaths to-day, Stellenbosch lias 600 cases, Pretoria 1000, Grahamstown 348, Greytown ICO, East London 2DO, King Williams Town 275, Port Nolloth 73, Richmond 103, and Beaufort West 268. , These are only a few examples, but tliey show the extent of the scourge. Naturally the natives an<J other coloured races have suffered most. But latterly, many of the whites have succumbed to' septic-pneumonia. Durban atrd Johannesburg have escaped light- * The deaths in the British official and military community in the south-west up to the present number 125. So far it is impossible to estimate the death roll in the native territories. The outstanding feature of the epidemic lias been the success of the influenza vaccine from the ■Government bacteriological' laboratories. This has been a wonderful preventative and safeguard against pneumonia while some doctors achieved remarkably satisfactory results from inoculation duiing the illness. SAVING THE SITUATION.

.PART OF THE MJEDICAL MILITARY.

Great credit is due to the medical militarv for its part in the. campaign against the di&'easie m Wellington. Whilst. holding down its own job m ihc camps, where 'thousands of men fell ill, it reached oat with its spare hand and rendered to the civilian population remarkably lir J e service. Doctors and Army Miedical Corps men were sent wherever the trouble was thickest. Medicine was made up and sent to all parts of the Welling.ton province. Working" from Defence Headquarters, Major* Gibbs rendered the people of Wellington and the peoples of many other places services that cannot be estimated in words. A prominent Labour official. •who has been in ithe .thick of affairs since the -beginning of the trouble, savs: *JThe ibefence Department saved the situation. Not only tHat, their organisation -was very fine. The way •they equipped some of the places for us was wonderful." At every hospital one visits- one finds men from the ambulance branch of the service at work. The departure of a hospital snip was held up, and air hands were ordered, to duty in New Zealand. Every medical corps inian the Department could get into touch -with was called up.