THE PLAGUE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1679, 4 May 1904, Page 60

THE PLAGUE

THE AUCKLAND OUTBREAK. ADVICES BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Advices received by the Health Department on Friday show that the plague patient in hospital at Auckland has apparently passed the worst, and unless something unusual takes place, there is every hope of his ultimate recovery. “ The war against rats is being waged all over the country,” says Dr Mason, Chief Health Officer, “and the general position is satisfactory. Of course, the wharves are the places more immediate ly exposed to* infection, and the Harbour Boards are helping us in every way. We have issued further instructions to shipping people, asking the officers of vessels trading along the coast® to Auckland to be sure and report any case of sickness occurring on board, so that we may have it looked to before the passengers are landed. Wo do not want to interfere with the movements of shipping at all, and with reasonable precautions there is no reason why the disease should spread from its present focus. “ There is practically no material benefit to be derived by £ sticking up ’ boats from Auckland. The thing to he borne in mind is that plague can be coped with quite easily if the people themselves will only take a hand in the war. It is simply a* question of cleanliness. We issued instructions last time to local bodies how to treat rats when found. The proper plan is not to handle rats at all, hub to pour kerosene over them so a® to burn all the fleas. As soon as a* rat gets cold the fleas fly to other cover, and, plague infected, they nip the first human being near. Therefore those people handling cargo cu wharves, should bo especially careful. There is, however, practically very little danger if tho local bodies carry out effectively the instructions they have received, and this, from advices to hand, 11 icy are doling promptly. There are twenty-five possible .point® of attack in this colony, with ships arriving from all partis of the world, and hence it behoves ns to use the greatest precautions/’