THE ALLEGED SMALLPOX OUTBREAK.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13571, 11 September 1914, Page 3

THE ALLEGED SMALLPOX OUTBREAK.

(Special to "The Colonist.")

Wellington, Sept. 10

A return presented to the House of Representatives to-night states that a careful approximate estimate places the number of Maoris affected by the so-called smallpox outbreak last year at 1978, of which cases 55 are known to have terminated fatally, although not more than 10 died under medical supervision. Of the 116 Europeans afflicted with the disease, 9 died, though none of the 116 had been vaccinated. It is estimated that at e least 85 per cent, of the Maoris were unvaccinated. Up to the date of the epidemic, so far as is known, no case occurred among vaccinated Natives unless among those vaccinated after the disease was in the incubation stage. The sanitary state of the surroundings did not appear to affect the severity of the epidemic: Natives living in comfortable houses appeared to suffer as much as others.