MAORI EPIDEMIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15377, 12 August 1913, Page 8

MAORI EPIDEMIC.

NO GJTY CASES YESTERDAY. "A TURN FOR THE BETTER." OUTBREAK AT GREAT BARRIER. No further cases of the prevailing Maori epidemic were reported to the district health officer (Dr. Monk) yesterday from, any city or suburban areas. Information was received, however, that the disease has started amongst the natives ah Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier Island. There is a medical man there, and he has had a supply of lymph forwarded to him. The case of a Maori patient was also reported from Kaiaua, near Thames, whert, isolation has been effected. Two natives were also reported to be suffering from the disease at Whararoa. Of the v 69 patients now at Point Chevalier, it is expected that seven or eight will be discharged cured, to-morrow. The remainder are all progressing well. " I think the epidemic has taken a turn for the better,"-said.Dr. Monk yesterday. "We are not hearing of so many cases now." The health officer added that applicants for vaccination are not coming forward voluntarily, but grudgingly, and of necessity. He expressed the hope that the value of the precaution would be more generally recognised. The Department's vaccination depot in Rutland Street is open daily.

The Maoris remaining in the houses in Marmion Street, off Upper Queen Street, from which four cases were removed last Saturday, have all been vaccinated, and in the case of each of them the vaccination has taken successfully. Had it not been for the Health Department's previous visits to the quarter in question, Dr. Monk said he considered there would havo been many inoc@ patients taken from it. There is reason to believe that certain premises in the neighbourhood were found to bo in such a condition as to warrant remedial measures being taken. The question of- transferring convalescents from Point Chevalier to some other locality, such as ad island in the gulf, is still under consideration by the health officers. Dr. Monk stated yesterday that in any case it would be necessary to continue to treat acute cases at the present isolation hospital. lie pointed out that such cases must be within easy access of medical men, apart from which , there would bo grave risk to patients suffering from an acute form of the disease in removing them down the harbour in any sort of weather. Such a journey on a wet or rough night might lead to'serious consequences. A report reached Dr. Monk from Mangere yesterday morning that a Maori, bearing a rash on his face,. was walking about the district. An official of the Department was immediately sent out to investigate. Dr. Wallace" Mackenzie, of Wellington, also went out, and saw the native- in question. Ho informed a Herald representative afterwards that the man had had the disease, and that the marks on his face were pock-marks, which, being stained, had led to the impresiuon that he was suffering from a rash. The fact that the Maori was freckled helpw.l to make his appearance suspicious. " The man had quite recovered," said Dr. Mackenzie, "and was quite 3afe." He .added ihat he had utilised the native to induce others in the locality to be vaccinated, by taking him round and showing him as an illustration of what might happen to others who failed to take the advocated precaution.

The laxity of the restrictions placed upon the movements of Maoris within the city area is the subject of much general comment. The prohibition against natives using public conveyances during the prevalence of the epidemic is apparently not being strictly enforced, as Maoris are frequently to "be seen in tramcars. Two natives were observed in Queen Street yesterday morning whose faces displayed rashes that were regarded with some anxiety by those who noticed the men. Maori children from Orakei visited numerous houses in the suburbs on Saturday selling ferns, and though their presence may have been attended by'none but innocent results, it wat» regarded with alarm in a community anxious to be rid of a serious menace to the public health.

MAYOR TAKES ACTION. DRASTIC MEASURES PROPOSED. ADVICE FOR MINISTER. Drastic measures are advocated by the Mayor of Auckland, with a view to stamping out the? epidemic which has so widely attacked the members of the Maori race. Mr. Parr intends to telegraph to the Minister for Public Health to-day several important recommendations on the subject. In the course of an interview with a Herald representative last evening, the Mayor referred to the urfency of the position, and . strongly recommended that everyone should take advantage of the eafeguard afforded by vaccination. " One thing must bo made quite clear," said Mr. Pap. " It is not my job to clear this epidemic out, but the seriousness of the occasion demands that I must take a hand in it without delay. The Health Department was specially "created 14 years ago to safeguard the public health. Thousand*', of pounds per annum havo been spent by the Government for this purpose. Mr. Seddon, having no faith in City Councils managing this sort of work, took control from us during the plague scare, and gave it to a Government Department. Mr. Seddon was right in principle. Given an active, well-informed Health Department, and it will defend the public against disease _mtieh more effectively than any single municipality can hope to. do. We are all entitled to expect, therefore, from the Government and. its officers whose special work this is that they will strain every nerve, and will spend money without stint to free the community of 'the curse that has come to us. And while this is not the work of the Mayor, still the matter is go serious for the "citizens that 1 intend'to ask the City Council to allow me to give practically all my time during the next fortnight to'assisting the Government officers in their efforts to stamp out this disease. I make no comment on what is past. That would be useless. " To-day I have made careful investigation as to the present position. I have had no difficulty in arriving u-t certain definite conclusions, which I 'intend tomorrow (Tuesday) to telegraph to the Minister for Public Health, with the request that he will give effect to my recommendations, which are as follows:—■ "Firstly: The Maori is the principal medium of the trouble. Dozens of tßem are still in the city. Without delay a register should be made by the police and inspectors of every Maori boardinghouse and ovcry private Maori dwelling in the city and suburbs, and a census of all Maori residents in the city should be taken. These places should be inspected every other day. The boardinghouse-keepers must notify every fresh Maori arrival at once. Even 7 Maori in the city must'be vaccinated immediately. This, so far, has not been done. The cases' found in Marmion Street on Sunday last prove, this. All Maoris resident within four miles of the post office should be compelled to report themselves once a day to a health officer for tho next two months. This is necessary to catch the travelling Maori who comes' into the city from infected areas. Natives who come into the city, and who do not report themselves, or who evade vaccination, should be taken out to tho quarantine station, and detained there as suspects. "Secondly: If the precautions abovementioned prove insufficient to . prevent Maori infection in the city, then the Government must be asked to clear every native out of Auckland while the disease is rife amongst them. "Thirdly: The accommodation at Point Chevalier is hopelessly inadequate. It is not a fair thing to put sick people into

tents in this weather. Patients must be put in comfortable quarters," and thus encouraged tc report themselves first thing. The Government should erect temporary wooden buildings immediately. Th© natives should not be brought from Woiheko and Mangere and the country through the city to Point Chevalier at all. An entirely separate quarantine station should be found for-the natives in the country. "Fourthly: Taking Sydney experience as a standard our system here of dealing with contacts is much too lax. Also, to isolate a patient in his own house would not be tolerated in Sydney. Every patient must go to quarantine hospital. _ Moreover, every unvaccinated person in contact with a case prior to its discovery must be at once also removed to separate quarantine, vaccinated, and detained for a fortnight. This is not clone here, but is rigidly enforced in Australia. For example, because a single female passenger by the Karoola from Sydney to Melbourne developed smallpox, the whole 300 passengers were collected after they had landed, and were quarantined. The Australians take the thing seriously, and wo must do the same. "-Fifthly: Dr. Valin-tane, the Chief Health Officer, should be asked to make his headquarters at Auckland for the present. His best ability as an organiser is required here. The city police should be strengthened by a dozen men, and their services utilised as inspectors. Believe me, this disease is not going to be got rid of in a day or two. It must be fought with system and patience. " Lastly: Everyone should vaccinate. It is no use a doctor or two saying the disease is not smallpox. Every doctor of repute in Australia says it is smallpox, and 450,000 people in Sydney have been vaccinated. However, if more light be required it would be a crc-od thing for the Minister to cable to Sydney for an experienced doctor, who has been treating the Sydney disease for two months at the quarantine hospital, and get him over to examine the Auckland cases. He could tell us whether we have got here what every doctor of repute on the other side admits is smallpox. Personally, I have no doubt about the matter.

"J intend," said the Mayor in conclusion, "to offer the services of the city's chief sanitary inspector (Mr. flaynes) and our six sanitary inspectors: to the Health Department, with .the object, more particularly, of preparing a register of the Maori boardingjiouses and the names of the Maoris residing in the city. I have alreadv conferred with Mr. Haynes on the subject, and will meet him again this morning in connection with the matter."

DB. VALIKTINE'S INVESTIGATIONS. REASSURING REPORT. |BT TELEGBAPH. —SPECIAL COBRESPOJTDENT.j Wellington, Monday. A telegram received to-day from Dr. Valintine (Chief Health Officer) by the Minister for Public Health (the Hon. R. H. Rhodes) states that the position in regard to the epidemic in the Kaikohe district is not as bad as has boen reported. Active steps are being taken to prevent the disease spreading northwards. There are a considerable number of cases at Horeke (Bay of Islands), and it has bsen arranged that Nurse' Baglcy shall proceed to that district. Dr. Te Rangihiroa, M. P., telegraphed today stating that the ontlook in the district in which he is working is somewhat brighter. THE NATIVES IN THE NORTH. SICKNESS REPORTED ON THE COAST [BT TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Whangarei,. Monday. Although no fresh cases of epidemic disease have been reported to-day from the immediate vicinity of Whangarei, there is evidence that a great deal of sickness is rife on the coast between Kiripaka and Whangaruru. Doctor V, Smith proceeded to the latter district on Sunday, where he vaccinated 160 persons. He found 18 natives suffering from the disease, and one of them in a severe form. Complaint is still fbeing made in regard to umvaccinated natives travelling about. It seems that, provided they do not use public conveyances, there is nothing in the way of restrictions being placed upon them. OASES AT WATiOAONE PATIENT INSANE. [BY telegraph.-—own correspondent.] Morrinsvtlle, Monday. It was reported to the police that a Maori, who some time ago had been committed to a mental hospital and afterwards released, had suddenly become demented at a Maori camp at Waitoa, six miles from here. A constable from Te Aroha arrived with the health officer, to find that the man, who had been vaccinated about a' month ago, was, also suffering from the prevailing disease. He was removed to the lockup at Te Aroha, and the doctor is in a dilemma to know what to do with him. He has telegraphed to the Health Department at Auckland for instructions. The patient's mental condition was such as to necessitate him being secured with ropes. Other cases of the epidemic were also discovered at Waitoa, where a number of Maoris are engaged in a drainage contract. No fresh cases are reported from Kiwitahi.>