MAORI PATIENT FINED

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1932, Page 4

MAORI PATIENT FINED

BREAKING FROM ISOLATION. A TYPHOID FEVER CASE. Rotorua, March 8. A case under the Health Act regulations came before Mr. S. L. Paterson, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court, when a Maori, Rangikaheka Kahu, was charged with being at large in a public place, knowing himself to be infected by typhoid fever.

Senior-Sergeant Carroll said that on December 7, Kahu had been admitted to King George V. Hospital suffering from typhoid fever. On January 13, while in isolation, he had left the hospital without the knowledge of the medical officers, and had not returned until next day, when he was taken charge of by the police. Kahu had said at the time that ho considered he was better and should be allowed to go home. On January 20 Kahu had broken isolation a second time, and this time did not return for two days, when he had again to be sought by the police. A third time, he broke out without the knowledge of the medical officers, and this time did not return. He was finally located at

Murupara, where his wife and family resided. On the first two occasions when Kahu had disappeared, he had been found in the streets about, the town.. ' ' Dr. Brian Thompson,'of the medicalstaff of King George V. Hospital, corroborated the sergeant’s'statement. He said that Kahu was still in the infectious stage at the time as a result of the fever, but that he was Quite conscious of what he was doing.

Constable Brown, in evidence, said that he had twice returned Kahu to the isolation ward. He knew that the man had once escaped from the Rotorua police lock-up and he appeared to regard the whole thing as a joke. Kahu was fined f 5 and costs.