Total Deaths From Polio Number 57

Chronicle (Levin), 6 January 1949, Page 4

Total Deaths From Polio Number 57

Press Assooiation'/

t'Per

WELLINGTUJN , J.an. 5. , There were 950 cases of poliomyelitis in New Zealand- dnring "1948. Fifty cictims died fromv the disease. The largest number of cases last year xccurred in- Central Wellington health listrict where there were 247 notifications. ; The disease reached its peak in 'Mav * when "123 cases, which Were fairly evenly distributed oyer the North Island, were reported. The next high-" est monthly figure was 116 notifications in September. Seventy-six of these cases were, in the Central Wellington health district which extends up to just north of Pahiatua and south of Waikanae. Since the start of the present outbreak of poliomyelitis ih Novemhjar L947, there have been' 1076 .qases of the disease with 57 deaths. Unlike previous outbreaks which had been confined to the summer and autumn months, the present outbreatc has now been experienced for a continuous period of 14 months. The 76 cases notified in the Wellington Central health district in September, was the largest number of notifications in any health district in any month. Since tlien there has been a progressive reduction in monthly . notifications in this district; the last Wellington case recorded being on De'cember 24.** New Zealand has experienced three* previous major epidemics of poliomyelitis in 1916, 1925 and 1937 wThen there were 1018, 1159 and *816 cases " respecI tively. . Last year's cases were reported from tlie various health distriets as follow: North Auckland 58, Central Auckland 179, Thames-Tauran^a, 24, South Auckland 134, Taranaki 117, East Cape 23, Wellington-Hawke's Bay 89, Central Wellington'247, Christchurch 21, Timaru 4, Nelson 23, Dunedin 6", Invercargill" 1, West.Coast 24 — total 950. Seventeen cases were reported in November 1947 and 109 in December of that year, Figures by months for 1948 are as follow: January 55, February 40, March 70, April 97, May 123, June 65, July 86, August 83, September 116, October 76, November 70, December 63 — - total 950.