SICKNESS IN FIJI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20199, 8 March 1929, Page 8

SICKNESS IN FIJI.

INFLUENZA AND DYSENTERY. GREEN VEGETABLES BANNED. [from our own correspondent.] SUVA, Feb. 28. Influenza has been playing havoc with the attendance of the heads and employees of Government departments and private businesses throughout Fiji for some timo, but the visitation has been a mild one and no deaths have been reported, a different story to the dreadful epidemic which swept the colony in 1918. The islands of Rotumah, Futuna and Wallis escaped infection in 1918. It is remarkable that they have this year been visited by severe epidemics which struck down almost every member of the population and was fatal in many cases. In Rotumah 30 lives out of 2500 were lost, Futuna 30 out of 1500 and Wallis 40 out of 4500. Fijians resident in Rotumah were this year immune from infection. During tlie past month the town of Suva has been visited by an outbreak of dysentery. Twenty-ono cases have been reported lo the health authorities, but it is known that there are more than that number suffering. In the caso of children (he outbreak lias been extremely virulent. One child, the 18-months-old daughter of Mr. arid Mrs. (J. R. Turbet, succumbed after a brief illness, while several other children are in hospital in a critical condition. , Dr. Thompson, medical officer of health, states that the visitation is not an epidemic, as no connection whatever can be traced between the individual cases. It i.s possible that infection is caused by flies, but ho does not anticipate that the trouble will spread. Residents have been advised to refrain from eating preen vegetables, such as lettuce and cucumber, and when the Aorangi called on her way southward a consignment of these vegetables was left lying on the wharf on the ad vice of the. port medical authorities.