A NEW DISEASE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 123, 26 May 1919, Page 7

A NEW DISEASE

APPEARANCE IN AUCKLAND

AND WELLINGTON.

• An Auckland report'et-ateo .that a new diieai©. of the ■ meningitis, • order has nuidt! its appearance in Auckland. I f i.e a brain disease. which is technically oalled lethargic oncepalitis, which • was reported as epidemic in England last year, and was referred to in cable messages as a form of sleeping sickness,owing to its effect on the patient.' The Home experience appeared to indicate that the new disease was due to a germ which found' its way into the nasal cavities through the nostrils in somewhat the same manner as acute anterior poliomelitis (infantile paralysis), and like that disease affected the nervous system and the brain.. Associated with contagion were tonsilitis, sore throat, and bronchial catarrh, but the most marked feature was the progressive lethargy which ensued. The patient became dazed and stupid, the eyelids became heavy and the vision blurred. Headaches and giddiness were an early symptom,, and in some cases emotional hysteria occurred, whilst delirium, chiefly nocturnal, was not uncommon. Lethargic encephalitis was made a notifiable disease by the Local Government Board in England. In view of the fact cases of the new disease had been reported' in Auckland, an enquiry was made by the Dominion from a medical authority as to whether it was known if any case coirespondlng to lethargic encephalitis had occurred in Wellington. The disquieting answer was to the effect that there was a ease—-a child —at present under dose observation, which corresponded in a measure to the symptoms as set out in the report from Auckland. Whether it was a new disease or not as far as New Zealand was concerned could not be determined definitely withoup more evidence to go upon, and that evidence had yet to bo produced. The evidence required would be the isolation of the germ, which could possibly bo obtained by post-mortem investigation in cases where death ensued. Whether it was new or not depended' on its disparity with, other known germs of like families. 'As far as was known the germ of lethargic encephalitis had 1 not been isolated, so there was little to go upon. One might be induced to class the new ailment as a form of nieningitf® suuervening on influenza. There was little doubt that meningitis did, in some instance-}, follow influenza, sometimes with quite an interval between. Many impleasaiq. after-effects of influenza had been noted, end this is possibly one of them. That is practically all that, could bo said until they had further data .about the alleged new disease, possibly derivable from the study of the Auckland cases.