INFLUENZA

Otago Witness, Issue 3442, 2 March 1920, Page 24

INFLUENZA

A STEADY IMPROVEMENT. With the exception of portions of South Otago, there has been a steady improvement as regards influenza in Otago and Southland, and Dr T. R. Ritchie, Acting Health Officer, is sanguine that before long the epidemic will have vanished from our midst. The number of notifications of fresh cases received on the 24th ult. for the whole of Otago and Southland was 41, of which 21 were in Dunedin and suburbs. One case in each instance was pneumonic. The number reported on the 25th was 50, of which 36 were in Dunedin and suburbs, of which one was pneumonic. The number of notifications on the 26th was 52, including 26 in Dunedin and suburbs. In each instance one of the cases was pneumonic. On the 27th 51 notifications were received, 20 being in Dunedin and suburbs. The reports for the 28th totalled 25 cases, of which 21, all mild, were in Dunedin. The position at the Dunedin Public Hospital during the week was as below:

In the Vincent Hospital there were five cases during the week, of which one case was pneumonic. THE, SCHOOLS REOPEN. All the public schools in the Otago Education district were reopened as usual on Monday morning, with the exception of those in the Catlins and Maclennan Ridings of the Clutha County, the opening of which has been postponed till March 8, on account of the prevalence of the epidemic in that area. PREVALENCE IN SOUTH OTAGO. There 'has been an appreciable inn ease in the number of influenza cases throughout the South Otago district during the past week, and the eindemio would seem to be becoming fairly general. Nineteen cases were reported in the neighbourhood of Owaka up to last evening. At Stirling there are six oases m one family, while one or two members of several other families are also affected. The trouble seems to be particularly prevalent at Hillend and on the hills towards Tuapeka West and Lawrence, where there are numerous cases, several farmers, as well as their families, being indisposed. In Balclutha there have been upwards of a dozen notifications, principally among adults. One bakery was closed down on account of the indispositionof the staff, while several businesses are working short-handed through members of the staff being affected. Four or five of the railway station personnel have also been laid aside. None of the cases so far reported is serious, and only one or two have pneumonio symptoms. Apart from the number notified to the medical authorities, there is apparently a large number of slight cases under private treatment in their own homos. In conjunction with the influenza a very severe type of cold is prevalent throughout the district. NO NEW CASES~ AT CROMWELL. Oar Cromwell correspondent telegraphs that no additional cases of influenza have been reported for a day or two, and the position appears to be well in hand, all the cases being mild. OUTBREAK AT RUNANGA. (Fkom Oob Own Coekespondent.) GREYMOUTH, February 26. The influenza outbreak at Runanga resulted in about 150 cases up till to-night. Many miners are laid Measures to isolate the outbreak have been taken. Very few cases are of a severe type,'though the attacks are rather sudden. So far no penumonic complications are reported. THE DOMINION FIGURES. WELLINGTON, February 24. Between noon on February 19 and noon on February 23, 496 cases of influenza were notified, of which nine were pneumonic and seven were severe. The corresponding four days' period of last year gave a total of 883, of which 10 were pneumonic and 10 severe. . THURSDAY ISLAND TRAGEDY. BRISBANE, February 24. The Shipping Inspector at Thursday Island reports that the ketch Phoenix sank at her anchorage in a small river. All the crew had died of influenza, and no one was left to man the pumps. INFLUENZA IN INDIA. The Calcutta Statesman gives the following particulars of the ravages of influenza in India: — The mortality from influenza in Karachi was 363 for the week endinq- December 27. The disease therefore was still increasing to that date. It is present also in Bombay City, having caused 38 deaths in the same period. It is present in Hyderabad Sind, where seven deaths occurred. Throughout Bombay Presidency cases have been reported in isolated villages in the Igatpuri, Ahmedanagar, Bijapur, and Panch Mahal districts. In Calcutta the disease is still present, having caused 63 deaths in the week ended December 20 and 69 deaths in the week ended December 27. In Bengal Presidency the disease is present still, especially in Bardwan, Ntdia. and Jalpaiguri districts. In the whole Presidency, exclusive of Calcutta, 214 deaths occurred from this disease in the week ended December 20. In United Provinces an outbreak has occurred in Garhwal district. Nine deaths 'have been reported from D I. Khan and Kulaohi districts of the North West Frontier Province. In various districts of Madras Presidency the disease is still present, but few deaths are reported. Altogether in the Presidency 96 deaths occurred from influenza during the 'week ended December 28. This inoludes 18 deaths in Madras City. The death rate from respiratory diseases in that city is high. A mild epidemio has been, reported from the Secunderabad Cantonment. The disease is still present in the various districts of Burma, but the deaths reported are not many, 61 in all for the week ended December 20. This includes 23 deaths recorded from Rangoon. In the Punjab the incidence of disease

remains small. Six deaths occurred in! Thanesar Tahsil in Karnal district In Bihar and Orissa six deaths a.re reported from Bettiah for the week ended December 20. The disease in the Central Provinces hag affected 23 villages in the Lakhmadan Tehsil, Seoni district. Six deaths were reported in Jubbulpore town for the week ended December 27.

In Assam the disease is present, but the deaths reported for tlhe weeks ended De* cember 20 and 27 are only 17.

Total Pneucases. monic. Deaths February 24 . .. 36 7 — February 25 . .. 32 7 — February 26 . .. 30 8 — February 27 . .. 30 8 — February 28 . .. 27 5 1