SERIOUS DISEASE

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12009, 11 December 1924, Page 8

SERIOUS DISEASE

3 INFANTILE PARALYSIS 3 l* ■■ 7 FOURTEEN CASES IN CITY IN ’ FORTNIGHT. [ STRINGENT ACTION. t - ■' - > - There is infantile paralysis in the ’ city. In the past fortnight fourteen | cases have been- notified, and the , Health Department is taking strong i action. , To a “New Zealand Times’’ reporter i yesterday Dr. T. MoKibbin, Director • of Public Hygiene, made a statement ; on the position. No cases had heen 1 reported up to November 24th, said ■ Dr. McKibbin, but for the week ending December Ist there bad been three ' cases in the Wellington district, and , up to December Bth another six notifica- • tions had been received. FIVE MORE CASES. Sinoe Monday last five further cases had occurred. Of these fourteen there were five at Petone, one at Lower Hutt and eight in the city. The streets from which infantile paralysis has been notified are as follow Green street, Rintoul street, Esplanade, Island Bay (two cases in one house), Adelaide road, Brooklyn road, Oxford terrace, and Tavistock road. So far there have heen three deaths. OF VARYING SEVERITY. Tho cases vary in severity as is usual with the disease, but the majority are mild. One child afiected is 14 years of age, two are nine years old, and the remainder are as follow; —Three of five years, one of four years, • two of three years, three of two years, one of nii?fe (months, and one of three months. The medical officer of health, says Dr. MoKibbin, is taking strong action ,in the matter, and some families have been completely isolated at home. There has been some difficulty in getting some of the contacts to remain iso-< lated, particularly breadwinners, but the department is aiming at firm isolation in the first oases. ■ MAINLY CHILDREN. Infantile paralysis usually affects children principally. The sufferer commences to be feverish, and in some instances has a slight attack of fever and nothing more; in other instances the child will show paralytic symptoms. These may be in one muscle, or in the eye, or else severe paralysis may supervene; and this may cause death. It is medical opinion that the disease can be carried. Experiments made upon apes show that they develop infantile paralysis if inoculated with matter procured from a diseased person. PAST EXPERIENCE. There has heen some 4 difference of opinion on the point, particularly until recently; hut later medical research conducted by the health officers ih England, New York, and elsewhere point to the paralysis being infectious, main ly through the nose, it is believed. Isolation is the only known cure. If the outbreak should assume any proportions the authorities might have to relax somewhat their restrictions upon breadwinners;'but they have begun'by enforcing strict isolation. NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. At present thero is no cause for alarm, states Dr. McKibbin, for though the department cannot predict that there wilf be no more cases it is making every effort to subdue the outbreak while it is small. At the same time tho public will be wise to avoid undue over-crowding, and to call in a doctor- at the slightest sign of feverishness or limpness on the part of the child. HUNDREDS OF CASES. In 1915-16 the Dominion had a had outbreak of infantile paralysis. Then 546 coses were notified in Auckland, 38? in Wellington, 65 in Christchurch and West Coast, and 25 in Otago and Southland. Some years before that there was an outbreak in Otago, and ever ICO children were badly affected. The ohildren may be injured, particularly in the feet, and the disease may '■ leave some permanently maiming effect and have to be treated by orthopaedic method in after years.