TO COMBAT T.B.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 12, 31 March 1947, Page 8

TO COMBAT T.B.

ASSOCIATION FORMED ENLIGHTENING THE PUBLIC To promote understanding of tuberculosis and publish facts about it, protect T.B. patients’ interests and welfare and assist in the rehabilitation of those who have been cured, an assembly of 50 representatives of Wanganui organisations and pi’ivate citizens formed the Wanganui Lay Tuberculosis Association at a meeting recently. For four years the Department of Health had registered all cases of the disease notified to doctors, hospitals and clinics and at the end of 1945 approximately 10,000 people were known to be suffering from the disease, said Dr. C. A. Taylor, Director of the Health Department’s Division of Tuberculosis, who addressed the meeting.

“At first sight the number oppears rather frightening, but all these people are not seriously ill or active spreaders of the tuberculosis germ,” he went on. “As far as we can tell, not more than 25 to 30 per cent, of the patients had the disease in an active form.”

Only an extremely small percentage had contacted the disease through bovine tuberculosis organism. By far the greatest problem was human infection, and it was usually found that this was contacted by one member of a family from another, generally someone older. Lower Death Rate Deaths in the Dominion from T.B. said Dr. Taylor, averaged from 950 to 980 a year. In 1945, 323 Maoris died with it and 601 Europeans. The death rate was fairly stationary and was lower than it had been at times in the past. “Once I thought that our Maoris had the highest death rate from tuberculosis in the world, but now I find the Canadian Indians’ death rate from this, disease is greater,” he said.

He then explained that , the duties of a lay tuberculosis association were to assist in the prevention of the spread of the disease by promoting general understincling of the true facts of T.B.

“Everyone has to be interested in the disease if we are to reduce the incidence and mortality,” declared Dr. Taylor. Lay associations which exist in Britain and the United States helped to disseminate information on the various aspects of a disease “which seems to pervade every part of our social fabric. “Our knowledge of tuberculosis patients is that they are a lonely people. .The doctor is able to assist to a certain degree, but in some directions he is powerless” Dr. Taylor then explained that from laymen in a tuberculosis association, it was hoped to gather ideas which would be extremely helpful in combating the disease and helping those who suffered from it. First Club in New Plymouth Dealing with the growth of the movement throughout the Dominion, the speaker said that New Plymouth Rotory Club was responsible for the formation of the first association in the Dominion in 1940. Although there was a time during the war when members could do little, they had now established occupational therapy to rehabilitate patients and had provided hutments for some patients who did not desire to go into institutions. The association had also assisted the Department of Health, particularly with its mobile X-ray clinic. The Auckland Association, likewise established through the Rotary Club, began its work in 1944. There was considerable interest there, too, in occupational therapic work. A full-time secretary and social wel-

fare officer was now stationed in Green Lane Hospital and the associations had supplied a library for patients in that hospital. One year later, an association was formed in Christchurch to help confined and discharged patients. The Wellington Association was formed last year and was “slowly feeling its way,” went on Dr. Taylor. It had been found that spadework was so great that it took a year to 18 months to get a new association under way.

Wellington branch, he said, was now endeavouring to sponsor the formation of a federation of all existing associations which would .assist in the promoting of further associations.