A PECULIAR EPIDEMIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1796, 8 July 1913, Page 4

A PECULIAR EPIDEMIC.

PRECAUTIONS BEING TAKEN. For somo moutlis past a pustular op!* deinic lius been in existence among tuo Natives iu Auckland, Marsdeu, kuip'uii, uud Bay of Islands. 'i'Jie lion, it, 11, Rhodes (Minister lor Public Health) informed a reporter lust evening that, although the disease had been ut times associated with some constitutional disturbante, by far tho majority of cases wero of u vury mild type. Ono death had been recorded, in uio poison of an aged Maori, but it was manilestly evident that neglect was Ulo principal contributory cause of death. There was no doubt whatever that tho disease in question wus not altogether • associated with tho usual eruptions of binallpox. Oi that fact all medical 111011 who had soon tho cases wero agreed, and it must bi* noted that tomo of tho medical men had had bpuciul experience of tho disease in Other countries. Nevertheless, tho Minister added, in view of news from Sydney, it behoved tho Department to take all possible precautions. Consequently it had been decided to adopt precautions as if tho epidemic wero smallpox, in the districts referred to. To carry out tho necessary precautions certain medical oiiieers would bo temporarily appointed who would have all tho powers of district health oilicers. As regarded the em forcewont of notification and general procautionary measures, tho medical officers would bo instructed to proceed with vaccination in tho affected areas. As vaccination was tho only efficient means of protection it was hoped that tho publio throughout tho Dominion would assist tho Department to that cud. In tho meauiimo tho eanio precautions would bo taken as heretofore with regard to tho vaccination of passengers from Sydney and other Australian parte, and with a view to assist tho Commonwealth authorities, tho vaccination of all peoplo leaving tlie3o shores would ho insisted upon prior to embarkation. Finally tho Department would imprest upon the publio that at present there wero no special grounds for alarm. The diagnosis of smallpox was not actually, established. Nevertheless, in viow of tho circumstances first described, it was necessary to act on tho sido of 6afety in tho event of tho epidemio assuming thosa characteristics that wero generally asso< eiatcd with truo smallpox. ANOTHER NORTHERN OUTBREAK, (By Teleßraph.—Press Association.) iWhangaroi, July 7. There aro three casos of chicken-pot in tho hospital. Tho patients aro Maoris and tho casos aro of a mild charactermilder than tho ones which occurred some wholes ago. Dr. Fraser Durst, medical superintendent of tho local hospital, stated to-day that a circular had been addressed- to him by tho Health Officer at Auckland, asking for any conclusions ho might havo. como to respecting vaccination as a preventive, of chickon-pix, but ho was afraid that sucli cvidenoo as lie had seen was entirely negative. Certainly tho Maoris had not been "vaccinated, but neither Imd tho majority of tho white pooplo with whom tho patients had bean in contact. The disease tho Maoris were suffering from was really slight chicken-pox, plus impetigo, a complaint of vrhich tho characteristic feature is un ugly rash to > which tho Maori )8 wry susceptible. .• A report from Takariwai states that there aro nino oases in tho Native settlement there, • , , , _ Auckland, July 7. It is reported that about six hundred Natives aro suffering from cliickcnpox in tlie north. Precautions aro being token in accordanco with tho Department's regulations.