HEALTH OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13875, 8 October 1908, Page 6

HEALTH OF AUCKLAND.

' A YEAR'S RECORD. INCREASES. IN INFECTIOUS ' , , DISEASES!. • . .... " . " '--'Tv [BY TELEGRAPH.—-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.Jvj Wellington, Wednesday." , V ' , "In reviewing the health of Auckland dm-. y ing the past year, the feature which staadg ' f out most prominently is the unusual i«.cidence of infectious or preventable diseases, • duo to direct infections, or as a result ■!*;..'•l o: insanitary environment," states Drj§flpil Purdv (district health officer), in the course*./ 1 of his annual report on tho Auckland ? ' health district, which was presented to'.'Jp' the House this afternoon. ' •1 ( rj ■ The report shows that the number ofi : !uj£\ '» births in Auckland City for the year end-* .- j ' v '" cd March last was 1242, equal to 29.63 pee'-'f--1000 of .the mean population. The birth,-. J in Auckland and the suburban boroughs ''-3d' (road boards not included) were 1924, or 27.46.per thousand of tho population. "Th* satisfactory increase in the birth-rate Te-"? 1 ' ferred tc in threo previous reports as to.,' m the Auckland district," says Dr Purdy, ?s|< "is thus maintained." The death-rate 114 Auckland city last yeai was 13.58 per' ' "f"'■''/ thousand, as against 18.51 for the previous" " year. For the city and suburbs the ratewas 11.43, as against 9.90 foi the preoed-|'twC'. ing year. The increase is ascribed to th« prevalence of epidemic diseases such' aaV'- ■ cnteric fever, scarlet . fever, diphtheria,*' £» whooping cough, and measles. In regard to infantile mortality, ' it-w'lllf stated that the deaths 01 infants under one 1 Vryear of age in Auckland city and suburban" '} , boroughs, during the year, was 187, whilst' ffc' the number of deaths of children. between one and five years was 76. The percentage"' *' '■ of deaths of children under one year of age ' 1 in the city, t'„ every hundred, births, was jiff 10.55, as compared with 9.92 for the pre- - "i:;, vious year. For the city and suburban '' "~3 boroughs the percentage was 9.72, as } 1 against 8.58 for the previous year. Th« l! ' increase was stated to be due to infectious', I "'' or preventable diseases. It is pointed ; ; !| that the birth-rate and death-rate, and also the infantile death-rate, are greater within , the city than in the. surrounding boroughs, : . the increase as to the two death-rates ba- , ' ing proportional to the aggregation 'oi'sfy-4-j,' population- per acre. * ' The deaths from zymotic diseases during the year, in the city and suburbs, num.bered 103, as compared with 42 in 1906, \ , 45 in 1905, 52 in 1904, and 86 in 19&,j|§|§ Dr. Purdy states, " The deaths under thii V head from diphtheria, \vhoopmg l cough,;',", and measles are unusually high. The com- | paratively large numbers of deaths from\ 'w/'T measles and whooping cough, which un- : : fortunately are diseases often lightly view- ,, 1 ; ed by the public, warrants the prosecution 1, | i of the present crusade to educate tho o|f.'mothers'- in the rearing and nursing of cliil- , .'<Y/' *dren, in addition to the important que#- - t'ion of feeding." ' ]|\jA Of the 103 deaths, whooping dough wa» responsible for no fewer than 36' cases, ' -jK" V measles for 17, diphtheria, for 8, diarrhoea! j,'. ' diseases for 19, influenza for 16, typhoid/' for six, and scarlet fever for one. The — notifications of infectious, diseases from'Jj&'i cvefcy part of the health . district were' iuS?is4 excess of those for the four previous years, the : total being 1071, as against ' 642 for 1906-07. Auckland city's proportion of the increase was 109, and that,oEjj.£ f the suburban boroughs 66. In the whole l of the health districtduring . the year, .there were 353 notifications of enteric 4 fever, 277 of scarlet fever, 165 of diphtheria, ; . J and 198 of tuberculosis. - " The increase- , in notifications, more especially in regard' *, | to tuberculosis," says the report, " mayi; w be due in some measure - to; the ad- , ministration with regard to. notificat having been vigorously carried out. There , was a notable increase after a medical practitioner had \ been mulcted in a , fin?. of £7, and costs." '^§^^111 THE ENTERIC OUTBREAK. V In regard to the increase in • the cases of enteric fever in - the Auckland district, the city is debited with ■ 61, suburban boroughs with 46, the suburban road dis«;'s;' ; tricts with 19, , country districts with 55, ■ i and hospitals and shipping with nine. .i!- . "Two areas," it is stated, "which have largely / contributed to the total : are Newmarket, the smallest borough as to area, and Eden Terrace, the smallest road , dis- [ ,: i trict. la the; former, the incidence'>hiif|||§; been .23, cases, and in the; latter 19. Of the country districts, the increase has been chiefly experienced in Hamilton Borough, • and. Waipa and Waitemata .. Counties,. ; while, in all, eighteen counties have been |s affected - against twelve v. in the; previous; year." • "I have little doubt," states Dr.Purdy/';,, "that flies were the main factors in dis*,-;. ." v Geminating this disease, more especially in ; '. - . Newmarket." ' .V'- ■ In a footnote, the health officer says, in''. " regard to 'Newmarket, "This district-is f now much 'improved.. • Once ■' drainage is, completed this area may be as healthy as' any in Auckland." . T , '1!,,, There -were 98 cases of scarlet fever in' / Auckland city last year, as compared witHyj; |. 70 :in 1906-07; in the suburban boroughs | there were 59 "cases, as compared with 67,-M , • and in suburban road districts 19, as pared with 35. In the country districts,; J ; the number rose to 125, as against ; ; 66 for E ||;;: the previous year. .. ■ Diphtheria showed a general increase lasli . .- |! year, rising from 20 (in 1906-07) to 43 io ,- ;, | the city, from 33 to 51 in the suburban"'y . | boroughs, from 12 to 15 in the suburban '$&ij road , boards, and from 35 to 53 in th«l , " 1 country . districts. ' v"/;. I