Tuberculosis Costs N.Z. £5,000,000 Yearly

Chronicle (Levin), 8 February 1949, Page 5

Tuberculosis Costs N.Z. £5,000,000 Yearly

AUCKLAND, Feb, 7. Plans for a limited inoculation programme against tubereulosis in New Zealand, were contained in a paper prepared by Dr. C. A. Taylor, of the De partment of Health, Wellington, for the Pacific Science Congress, a precis of Which he read at a meeting of the public health- division of the congress. "The introduction of a voluntary prophylactic B.C.G. inoculation programme to limited groups, is to be introdueed in New Zealapd this year," he said. "Fresh vaecine will be transported by air from the Common wealth serum laboratories at Alelbourne and it will fje available for people who have ' b'een tested with .tuUerculin. and who hq,ve shown nega'ive reaction. " Dr. Taylor emphasised that inncula tion would be an addition to and not a replacement of the orthodox method1' of controlling the disease. There would be no relaxation of orthodox methods. which included the early linding ot" f-ases by means suc-h as the X-ray, the seeking out of eontaets of known cases. the raising of general standards of housing and living, good nourishment. proper diet and general education about the disease. There were 9821 known registered cases of tubereulosis in the Dominion on December 31, 1947, Dr. Taylor said. Of those 2463 were Maori cases. A total of 1072 were inpatients in hospital tuherculosis units, 648 patients were in sanatoria and the bulk of the patients were in their own homes. There was a shortage of beds, particularly in the North Island, to accommodate all active infectious cases. The cost to New Zealand of the ett'ects of tubereulosis was estimated at about £5,000,000 a year