A SATISFACTORY REPORT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17733, 5 December 1919, Page 5

A SATISFACTORY REPORT.

NO SIGNS OF RECRUDESCENCE,

(Per Fjcss Association.)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 4. ! A statement in regard to cases of influenza imported in the Dominion lately, was made by the acting Chief Health Officer (Dr. Makgill) to-day. The Department has been watching closely the development, of influenza in the Auckland nnd Wellington provinces during the last three weeks. The disease hns shown a slight "tendency to revive. At no time has it taken on the form of the general epidemic, but in certain areas an increase in catarrhal diseases, due doubtless to weather conditions, dias been shown. It is quite probable that this time every year the same thing happens, but hitherto neither influenza nor pneumonia has been notifiable, i<o wo cannot compare figures with previous years. The heaviest return for one week throughout the whole Dominion has been 220 cases. That number is, of course, distributed, and does not call for any alarm. With the increase of influenza, there has been a coincident increase in pneumonia. This is invariahlv the case in all countries in the world", and means really that the causes that tend to increase one type of catarrhal disease tend also to increase others. The daily record of the last few days shows that in a'l parts of the Dominion influenza is decreasing again, and I ha'*e no reason for fearing that an epidemic U pending; At the end of August a similar increase in infHenza and uneumonia occurred, but after three weeks it died down again, just as it is doing now. As an illustration of how little iii the way of epidemic there is, I may mention that in the whole of the Wellington Public Health district, inclu-i----ins1 Hawke's Bay, Nelson and Taranaki, for the twenty-four hours ended noon to-day, there were but seven cases of influenza notified. Proportion of cases of severe type does not appear to he increasing; in fact, in Auckland.and Waikato the returns have shown that prac- j tically till the cases are of the mildest ! description, so mild indeed that the '*n- j spectors informed me that on visiting houses they invariably found the neopie themselves did not regard the trouble as other than just an ordinary cold. Of course, it is difficult 1o draw a hard and fast line between a feverish cold and an attack of influenza, and in dealing with returns notified as influenzi j one h3R to make allowance.for this difficulty, liierefore the actual figures on the notification list may bs somewhat misleading, but the imoortant thing is to keep a check on influenza conditions which show a marked tendency to pneumoiv/.j1 complications. These fortunately aro not common. Personally, I think it is improvable we shall «ver again bo visited with such an epidemic as we had lost year as the conditions leading up to that epidemic were most exceptional. Doubtless we shall have epidemics or influenza again, but they will be probably of the mild tyce. .AUCKLAND, Dec. 4. _ Twelve case's of influenza were notified in the Auckland Health District during the twenty-four hours ended at noon today, six being in the city and six in thw country. There was only one severe case. There were also three cas<s3 of pn3imionia, two being reported from the country.

torate until the 13tli inst., when he will speak at the Town Hall, Wanganui East. Next week he intends to work tho Polionui, Mataroa, and Taihape districts.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement in another column of a meeting of ladies to be held at Wanganui East on Saturday, 6th inst., at 3.p.m., in the Anglica-'i Church Schoolroom, for the purpose of setting up a ladies' committee to work in Mr Glenn's interests in that district.