SCHOOL INFLUENZA OUTBREAK ABATING

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30469, 17 June 1964, Page 14

SCHOOL INFLUENZA OUTBREAK ABATING

Several types- of virus seemed to be prevalent and causing disease in Christchurch, the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. L. F. Jepson) said on Monday. These included enteric viruses; which cause diarrhoea and vomiting; “true” influenza viruses, infecting .the respiratory system; and, probably, the Coxsackie ’viruses,- causing general aches ■ and pains, sore

throats, and associated symptoms. Coxsackie • viruses are named after a,small town in New York State. Viruses from there were the first of their type to -be isolated. School. hostels where virus infections were rife last week reported improvement ' yesterday. At Te Wai Pounamu College, classes were resumed after a week in which all but four of the pupilis had been affected at one time or another; even so, 17 of the 42 girls were still sick on Monday. A few of the pupils had- temperatures of 102 or 103 degrees during, the outbreak.

At Christ’s College, 49 of the 290 boarders were still on the sick list, compared with 77 on Saturday and 87 on Friday. Sixty-three day boys were also away on Monday compared with .65 on Saturday and 57 on Friday. The symptoms of the infection were generally mild.' About half the boarders have now had the disease. • The 190 or so boarders at St. Andrew’s College were nearly all back at work. Last week, numbers of them were sick—more than 50 at- one stage. About 12 boarders at St. Margaret’S College were’, in bed, a number that has been fairly constant for some days. At Christchurch Boys’ High School, 10 boarders were in the sick bay on Monday, rather more than on most days: last week. About a quarter of the boarders have now had the infection.

Rangi-ruru School, Sacred Heart College, and St. Bede’s College reported very few day pupils absent and no sickness, or almost none, in their hostels;