THE EPIDEMIC IN THE NORTH

New Zealand Tablet, 24 July 1913, Page 36

THE EPIDEMIC IN THE NORTH

r; The only fresh development in connection with the prevailing 1 ; Maori epidemic in the •Auckland district was. the location of six more Native cases at Mangere. Believing that place to have been the origin and stronghold ,of the outbreak the district health officers respected it, -the result being that the six .patients referred to were found to be suffering from the complaint. All are members of the same family. They were removed to the isolation hospital at Point Chevalier. ; . . The following official bulletin was issued by Dr. Valintine (Chief Health Officer) on Tuesday evening : ';',: Six Natives from one house at Mangere were admitted to the Auckland Infectious Diseases Hospital to-day. There are now 46 cases isolated. Of this number nine are Europeans. There are 15 pronounced cases isolated in other parts of the Auckland province. A small isolation hospital under the superintendence of Dr. Gunn, has been established at Tarawera. Dr. Baker reports a suspected case at Tangiteroria, on the Northern Wairoa River, and another case—a European has been reported at Huntly. Two deaths are reported from Maungatautau, both Natives This is the third deatH reported from this district. The Wellington and Pahiatua cases are progressing favorably. In replying to a question regarding the alleged shortage Q f lymph, Dr. Valintine (Chief Health Officer) stated: :; ■ I cannot understand why the supply should not suffice in any district. It is certainly not the fault of the department. The demands made on it are not altogether reasonable. It is not possible for the public vaccinators to have carried out so many vaccinations in the time as could have been done with the amount of lymph we have distributed. The officers of the department have been working night and day to cope with the demand, and it is hoped that within the next week or ten days enough lymph will be issued to satisfy all requests. In the meantime we must reserve a large stock for the infected districts. During the last nine days the department has sent out over 150,000 doses, in addition to the large quantities which have been held in stock in various places in the Dominion. This week we hope to distribute another 100,000 inoculations, so you see the department has not been wasting much time.' °