Eighteen Schools Close Down, Owing To Influenza Outbreak.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17890, 5 July 1926, Page 5

Eighteen Schools Close Down, Owing To Influenza Outbreak.

ALL SCHOOLS IN CANTERBURY MAY HAVE TO BE SHUT UP.

This morning eighteen schools in- the Canterbury Education Board's district were idle as a result of the influenza outbreak. It is possible that all schools will yet be ordered to close down.

Severely depleted staff and attendances due to th,e prevalence of influenza caused the closing down of several more schools in the. Canterbury Education Board's district this morning, and discussions are proceeding in regard to the necessity of closing all ' the schools. Because influenza has not yet been declared a notifiable disease under the Health Act, the Health Department is as yet unable to order the closing of the schools, but Mr R, C. Kirk, secretary of the Canterbury Education Board, said to-day that this matter was now engaging the attention of the authorities. Hundreds Absent. Hundreds of pupils are in many cases away from single schools. Teachers, too ,are affected to a large extent, al- . though no school has been closed solely on account of the illness of the staff. Fifty relieving teachers are available should their services be required, and inquiries this morning revealed that already a number of the relieving staff were filling positions temporarily vacated by teachers affected by the influenza. . “ There are as many as three teachers away from a single school,” said Mr Kirk in answer to a question- “ Is there any proposal as yet that all the schools should close down?” “Yes, that matter is being brought under the notice of Dr Telford.” Not Notifiable. Mr Kirk stated that the matter \ one for the Health Department. Influenza was not a notifiable disease under the Act, and until it was the Department could take no action. “ I understand that around Sydenham it is very prevalent,” he said, “ as bad as it has been since 1918.” Some headmasters, he said, were eager to have their schools closed down —others were not, their argument being that the children were as open to contract influenza at home as they were at school. Three hundred children were absent from the New Brighton School, which closed down this morning. When the Rangiora Borough School re-opened this morning there were 135 pupils absent and it, was decided to close for another week. The Rangiora High School re-operied this morning. Now Closed. Schools now closed are:— Sydenham. St Albans. Beckenham. Aranui. Normal. Papanui. Woolston. Burwood. Riccarton. Rangiora. Southbrook lunwood. Rapaki. Christchurch East. Lyttelton. Fendalton. Belfast. New Brighton. Te Ngawai School is also closed, but scarlet fever, not influenza, was the cause of the closing down in this instance. There were 110 pupils absent from the Waimairi School when the roll was called this morning. A meeting of the school committee was called and it was decided that the school should remain open for the present. One or two cases have occurred at St Andrew’s College, but the attendance is about normal. The College will not close down.

MANY AFFECTED. Of 280.000 people in the CanterburyWestland health district, one authority estimated this morning that approximately 80,000 are affected or have been affected during the present epiIt was also stated that roughly 50 per cent, of the pupils attending the Canterbury schools are affected. None of the secondary schools have closed down because erf the epidemic.

Mild ’Flu. Colonel Dawson, Assistant Medical Officer of Health for the CanterburyWestland district, stated to-day that there was-no doubt that at the present time mild influenza was general throughout the. district, and as might be expected the number of cases of the pneumonic type was larger than usual. During the past week, however, only nine notifications of pneumonic influenza and one notification of death were received from the whole district. This was a very small number in proportion to the number of cases of mild influenza about. What to Do, To prevent the spread of the epidemic Colonel Dawson says: Keep away from crowds. Walk, rather than ride in crowded tram-cars. When feeling ill, stay from work. Don’t endanger your neighbour. Employers should realise that it is better for sick members of their staff to stay in bed until they are right. Safeguard yourself and your neighbour by keeping a reasonable distance away from him when engaged in conversation. Don’t try to carry on when you know you are ill—go straight to bed. THREE PNEUMONIC CASES REPORTED LAST WEEK. Nine new cases of pneumonic influenza were notified in the Canterbury - Westland health district last week, as compared with six in the previous week. A total of fifty-two notifications of infectious and other notifiable diseases were reported during the week, an increase of fourteen over the previous week. Following are the details of the cases notified during the past two weeks:— West Coast. Last Previous

Two deaths occurred from .diphtheria. one from tuberculosis and one from pneumonic influenza during the past week, as compared with one from tuberculosis.' 'aitri ifrtmi prietlmonic influenza in the previous week. All occurred in Canterbury.

“NO CAUSE AT ALL FOR ALARM.”

VIEWS OF CITY MEDICAL MEN. “There is a lot of it about, but it is quite mild, and there is no cause for alarm,” said a well-known member of the medical profession to a “Star” reporter to-day. “I have not heard of any cases of pneumonia.” Asked if he could say anything by way of the public taking precautions, the doctor said it was a good thing to close the schools. People suffering from bad coulds should stay at home and not go visiting other houses. Visiting would assist materially towards spreading the malady. Other medical men communicated with endorsed the views expressed above. While there was no cause for alarm, they said, the people suffering from , could should not take risks.

reek. Diphtheria 2 2 Pneumonia ; 0 1 Canterbury. Scarlet fever 14 . (> Diphtheria 7 3 1 uberculosis 12 11 Pneumonia <3 8 Pneumonic influenza. . . . 1) fl Ervsipelas 1 0 Eclampsia 1 0 Totals 52 37