HOOKWORM.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 170572, 4 August 1921, Page 2

HOOKWORM.

A DIIEA'D DISEASE. 'S cslcrdtty a .Sydney cable message stated that investigations extending over several months disclosed the presence of the dreaded hookworm ill considerable quantities in some of tho north coast districts. CAMPAIGN’ IN QUEENSLAND. The arrival of Dr c. X. i,each. Field Director of tho .Hockieller Institute, from America, draws attention once more to the prevalence of hookworm in tho Pacific Islands and Queens- , land, says a Sydney exchange. [ Dr Leach comes to Australia at the invitation of tho Federal Government to work in conjunction with Dr Sawyer and Dr Lambert, also of the Rockefeller Institute, who have ; been studying the disease in Austra- j lhi tmd the Pacific for some months. J In January last the Commonwealth : Government was spending at the rate ' of £4OOO a year in fighting tropical dhieemmi, and remarkable results have been achieved in combatting hookworm. These results had been 1 vac.do yo-rsibio through the co-opera- ‘ t.lon of Uni Rockefeller Institute. 1 Bosun month-; ugo concern was foil nl, tho possibility of tno disease being In New Kouih Whiles, and the Minis- i ter of llealih (Mr McGirr) conferred j r

f with Dr Sawyer, head of the liookj worm campaign, and arranged for a survey of the States to discover if the disease had a grip here. The result I of that campaign has not yet been I made available. j Dr Leach, in discussing the disease, ! said it had grave economic results. ■ dislocating industry and reducing j enormously the productive power of I industrials and all workers. In Brazil, he said, 90 per cent, of the population in the country over eight years of age had the disease, while in Ceyi lon the percentage was 00. I The Rockefeller Institute had spent 4.000,000 dollars in fighting the disease in tho south-eastern States of America, with good results. I Tho disease was due to had hygii one, and the only way to combat it was education and sanitation. Child- , ren became infected in some parts fclmmvii eating dirt, while in other cases the worm entered tho system j by means of the feet of natives who j walked without shoes or boots. ! In the campaign in Queensland. Dr ; Loach said. it. was hoped to secure control of tho hookworm by means of education ami improved sanitation in the country districts.