INFLUENZA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19809, 28 November 1919, Page 5

INFLUENZA.

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. | CANTERBURY CASES. The local Health Officers bi-weekly, bulletin of influenza, case?, for the period Gilding noon yesterday is as follows: North Canterbury.—Fourteen cases--ton mild, four pneumonic. The mild cases are situated as follows; Limvood 2, Lyttelton 1. St. Albans 1. Belfast 1, Spreyd'ou 1, City 4, Woolston 1. 11 iccartou 1. Sockburn 1. The pneumonic cases are distributed as follows; Shirley 1, City 1, Sydenham 1, Addington 1. Ashburton.—One mild case. South Canterbury.—One pneumonic case at Hilton. STATEMENT BY Dll MAKGILL. [Per Press Association.] Y ELLINGTON, November 27. Twenty-seven fresh cases of influenza were notified in the "Wellington Health District between November 33 anti 27. With one exception, all the cases were mild. , ; interviewed, Dr Ma-kgill, Acting Chief Health Officer, stated flint there tvaa a slight recrudescence of influenza of the ordinary typo, affecting part of tho Auckland and Wellington districts ■‘The position is in no way alarming,” ho added. ‘'Tho cases show no tendency to revert to the severe type of Inst year. There is very slight evidence of a recrudescence in Christchurch, and none at all in Otago or Southland. At this time of the year there is generally a good deal of catarrh prevalent. Probably the present situation is no worse than what it is every year. As wo have never before had notifications of influenza at. our disposal, we hare no means of comparing this year’s figures with those of previous years. “The Registrar-General’s statistics as to deaths show that during the spring months pneumonic complications are somewhat prevalent. These arc today’s notifications up to noon : Auckland Province (including Waikato) —11 cases, of which two are severe. Y ellingtou Province (including Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, and Nelson) —10 cases, of which one is severe. Canterbury (including Westland) — 6 cases, of which one is severe. Otago and Southland—-No cases. “That allows that all through the Dominion there were oulv twenty-seven cases notified to-day, of which four are of the severe type. We cannot say, therefore, t-liat there is unv epidemic* Gome of the cases recently notified indicate small outbreaks of influenza in j schools. A few eases of influenza in school—a common enough tiling at all ; times- will put up our notifications and j cause alarm. Personally ]. l iavo 110 cause for alarm whatsoever. The’ department is watching the position closely, and if any reason for doinp- so arises precautions will at once be “instituted in the way of prohibiting public gatherings.“ AUCKLAND CASES. i [Per Press Association.] j AUCKLAND, November 27. I Ten cases of influenza in the Ancle- i land health district- -were notified to- 1 day—eight in tho city and two in the " ° are considered severe. Hus brings the total noiilications this week to sixty-eight.