INFANTILE PARALYSIS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9258, 27 January 1916, Page 5

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

EPIDEMIC IN AUCKLAND THIRTY-FOUR OASES REPORTED. Proas Association. AUCKLAND, January 26The present outbreak of infantile paralysis in Auckland has assumed the proportions of tho most serious epidemic of this disease experienced for a considerable period for recent notifications bring the total number of patients up to 54. Two deaths havo occurred, the victims being a four-year-old male child and a woman aged 29, but happily the majority of the remainder of the cases are only of a mild disposition and many of the patients are on tho high road to recovery. During the year 1914 only 50 cases were admitted to the hospitals of New Zealand. During the la-st tortnight 19 additional cases have been ‘eported to the Auckland Public Health office. Most of the patients on examination were discovered to have had tne disease for periods ranging from a ■week to a month, and only in one 01 two cases had symptoms of the disease developed within the last two or three da, Thc cases reported included only two of adults, tho remainder bftmg children of varying ages. The TOjority of tho victims are only a tew months oldThe outbreak is of the usual battling nature, cases being reported from a number of districts, thereby eliminating the possibility of contact being responsible for every case. Some of the patients have come from the city and others from various outlying places, including Epsom, Mount Eden, ana Kingsland. One or two cases are of a serious nature, but in most of them only slight paralysis has occurred, many of the little patients being able to walk and run about. Isolation has, of course, been resorted to by the Health authorities, and all possible precautions have been taken to ensure tho prompt reporting of cases, the disease being a compulsorily notifiable one, and to prevent its spread*