MEASLES EPIDEMIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23067, 18 June 1938, Page 16

MEASLES EPIDEMIC

MORE WHANGAREI CASES NO CAUSE FOR ANY ALARM HEALTH OFFICER'S STATEMENT [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WHANGAREI. Friday "The measles epidemic that has broken out in the Whangarei district is increasing in the number of cases reported, but not in severity," said Dr. C. B. Gilberd, medical officer of health for North Auckland to-day. "So far as tho north is concerned the outbreak first occurred at the beginning of the year in the Far North, where the schools were closed for some weeks by the Health Department, and it has gradually worked south. "Tho type of measles outbreak in the Whangarei district is not to be confused with the severe type that was prevalent in the Far North at the beginning of tho year, and there is no cause for alarm," added Dr. Gilberd. "There has been a slight recurrence of the malady in the Hokianga and Bay of Islands districts, but the greater number of cases are in the Whangarei district, where in some schools fully 50 per cent of the pupils in a few of the classes are absent. As with the outbreak in the northern area, a number of adults-in the Whangarei district have contracted the disease." POSITION IN WAIKATO OUTBREAK ONLY MILD [from our own correspondent] . HAMILTON, Friday The present epidemic of measles in some southern districts is not being felt with any severity in Hamilton, according to Dr. H. B. Turbott. medical officer of health for the Waikato. He said to-day that business men invariably communicated with him for advice when their staffs were depleted through sickness, but so far lie had heard from no one regarding outbreaks of measles. Dr. Turbott visited 12 schools in the Waitomo County last week and some children were away from every school, in some cases as many as a third or the pupils being absent. The epidemic there was of a mild type, however, and was now working itself out.