WAVE OF INFLUENZA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19372, 6 July 1926, Page 10

WAVE OF INFLUENZA.

EPIDEMIC IN CANTERBURY.

EIGHTEEN SCHOOLS CLOSED.

CASES THROUGHOUT PROVINCE. LARGE NUMBERS AFFECTED. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. J CHRISTCHURCH. Monday. Eighteen schools in the Canterbury Education Board's district were idle this morning as a result of the influenza outbreak. It is possible that all schools will be ordered to close. Of 280,000 eoplo in the CanterburyWestland health district, one authority estimated this morning that approximately 80,000 are affected, or have be affected, during the present epidemic. It was also stated that approximately 50 per cent, of the pupils attending the Canterbury schools are affected. None of tho secondary schools have closed because of the epidemic. Severely depicted staffs and attendances, due to the prevalence of influenza, caused tho closing of several more schools in the Canterbury Education Board's district this morning, and discussions are proceeding m regard to the necessity of closing all tho schools. -■ School Staffs Depleted. Because influenza has not yet been declared a notifiable disease under the Health Act the Health Department is unable to order the closing of the schools, but Mr. R. C. Kirk, secretary of tho Canterbury Education Board, said to-day that this matter was now engaging the attention of the authorities. Hundreds of pupils are in many cases away from single schools. Teachers, too, are affected to a large extent, although no school has been closed solely on account of the illness of the staff. Fifty relieving teachers are available should their services be required. Inquiries this morning revealed that already a number of the relieving staff were filling positions temporarily vacated by teachers affected by the influenza. "There are as many as three teachers away from a single school," said Mr. Kirk. Position in the Schools. "I understand that around Sydenham it is very prevalent," he added, "as bad as it has been since 1918." Some headmasters. he said, weie eager to have their schools closed, and others were not, their argument being that the children were as open to contract influenza at home as they were at school. Three hundred children were absent from tho New Brighton school, which closed down this morning. When the Rangiora borough school reopened this morning there' were 135 pupils absent, and it was decided to close for another week. The Rangiora High School reopened this morning. The schools now closed are Sydenham, St. Albans, Beckenham, Aranui, Normal, "-Papanui, Woolston, Burwood," Riccarton, Rangiora, Southbroofe, Lin wood, Rapaki, Christchurch East, Lyttelton, Fendalton, Belfast, New Brighton. Te Ngawai school is also closed, but scarlet fever"and not influenza was the cause of the closings down in this instance. There were 110 pupils absent from the Waimairi school when the foil was called this morning. A meeting of the school committee was called and it was decided that the school should remain open for the present.