Parents Should Not Send Children Shopping

Chronicle (Levin), 16 December 1947, Page 5

Parents Should Not Send Children Shopping

Press Association)

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AUCKLAND, Dec. .15. No further positive cases were reported in the Central Auckland health district but two suspect cases, both children, were admitted to the Auckland Hospital. The total number of positive cases in hospital is still 4T and there are eight suspect ed cases. A fourtli suspected case in' the Thames-Tauranga health district was reported from Tauranga today. One of the earlier patients, a boy aged LI, wa-, diagnosed at Thames as a positive case and has now recovered. lle had a milu non-paralytic form of the disease. Xu conlirmation has Jicen received by the Health Department of the diagnoses of two other cases, one at Waihi and the other at Tauranga. Although resti ictions are in f'Orce and warnrngs have been issued in an elfort to protect children, many parents m the suburbs are sendiftg their children to do their shopping. Young children on errands are to be seen standing in groups in shops and plaving together on their way home with provisions. Owing to epidemic, instructions had been issued to the outside staff of the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Board to :ntensify inspections of milk shops and to tuke steps for the exclusion or' rlies aird the clcatiing up of bad conditions, stated the leehnieal ofiicer, Mr. (). T. llannigaii, in a report to the board today. This programme had been maintained partieularlv on North Sliore where much raw milk was being sold. .M r. Hannigan added .that he had held stopwork meetings at milk treatmen; plants and discussed the pos'pasteurisation handling of bottleil miik with tlie staf'l's in the hope that any omtaiiiination inight be prevented by the correct handling. Vendors on North Sliore had also been visited pe'-sonally by liiin and their depots inspectod. A strict watcli would be maintained on all licensed premises while the threat of polomyelitis was present. . M'hen asked whether there was any possibility of adults contraeting the disease througli bathing in public swimming pools, tlie Medical Officer ot Health at Auckland, Dr. L. S. Davis, said it was considered whai" the chlorine strength m which it was being used in the batlis would destroy tlie virus of infantile paralysis. He pointed out that the ban on tlie attendance of children under ihe age of 16 at public iiaths, ivas imposed to prevent children from congregating and not from swimming. lier. method of freating infantile paralysis cases will be discussed by Sister Elizabeth Kenny with members of the Auckland division of the British Medical Association, the Trained Masscurs' Association and Hospital sisters at a meeting toniorrow niglit. Sister K( liny arrived from Australia on Sun ilav and will retiirn to tlie United yltates ne.xt Tuesday.