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H.—3l

bourne, apparently, being the first town to show such infection. Since then this type of disease has developed throughout the Commonwealth, and has now continued in epidemic form for some months. Australia differs wholly from other countries, in that the secondary wave has been delayed and has not shown thai explosive character so marked elsewhere. Asia. In India the primary inlluenza wave began in Bombay in June, and by the end of July had spread over the country, but this epidemic was not accompanied by a high mortality. In November, however, the secondary wave seems to have appeared and caused a great loss of life. It was also prevalent in China about this time. South America. In Brazil, Peru, and Venezuela an epidemic of influenza with high mortality was present during the last week of October and the early parts of November. No information as to the primary wave has been obtained. New Zealand. Since influenza was not a notifiable disease prior to November, 1918, the records of the epidemic during that year must be incomplete. W« have, however, two sources of definite information — (a) The medical reports of the military training-camps; (b) the Begistrar-General's return of deaths. Statistics from Military Camps. —The following table represents the admission of influenza cases to hospital in the larger training-camps : — Table 11. Month. Cases. Deaths. January ...- ... "... ... ... ... 22 February ... ... ... ... ... ... 30 March ... ... ... ... ... 16 ■ — April ... ... ... ... ... ... 13 May ... ... ... ... ... •• 32 June . . ... ... ... ... 16 July ... ... ... ... ... ... 145 August ... ... ... ... ... ... 571 2 September ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,216 October ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,116 2 November ... ... ... ... ... ... 4,369) 2fio December ... ... ... ... ... 15[ Totals 7,561. 284 This record of cases does not include those treated outside the camp hospitals. We may take this return as a fair indication of the incidence of influenza throughout New Zealand. The primary wave began in July —about two months later than that of Great Britain— and reached its crest in September, waning slightly in October. The second wave burst out with explosive violence and great mortality in November. Up to the end of October 3,177 cases had occurred, with four deaths. During November and December 4,348 cases, with 280 deaths, were recorded. The crest of the second wave is shown to be on the 9th November from the following figures, representing the daily admissions into hospital at the two largest camps : — Table 111. Date Foatherston. Trent-ham. Total. October' 28 . . .. 12 3 15 29 . .. .. •• ..10 7 17 " 30 ■ .. 14 7 21 31.. .. .. •• ..1.0 2 12 November 1 .. .. 38 5 43 2 .. .. •• ..48 7 55 .. 69 4 73 4 ...... 149 29 178 5 . .. .. ..149 61 210 6 .. .. .. ..399 137 536 7 .. .. ..422 102 524 8 . .. .. ..375 150 525 9 .. .. ..348 221 569 10 .. .. .. 261 294 555 11 .. .. .. 278 209 487 12 .. .. •• 149 135 284 13 .. .. .. 95 94 189 14 .. .. ..99 62 161 15 .. .. .. 104 50 154 16 .. .. ..49 37 86 17 ...... 44 19 63 " t 18 41 17 58 The second wave in the camps may be said to have begun on the Ist November, and, as it was over by the 18th, the extremely explosive character is well illustrated.

4—H. 31.