EPIDEMIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1806, 19 July 1913, Page 5

EPIDEMIC.

SUSPECT CASE IN THE CITY.

DEPARTMENT SILENT.

POINT CHEVALIER REPORTS. PATIENTS DOING WELL. Tho smallpox outbreak seems to bo spreading. Dr. Valintino stated yesterday that tho prospects of stamping out tho disease wero not so bright as they, wero on tho previous day. The Mayor of Wellington was official}- informed yesterday that there was a suspected case in Wellington. The patient and a contact wero isolated. Tho contact camo from Ivawakawa, Bay of Islands, Auckland, where several cases have already been reported. Tho Health Department, at a later hour last night, would give no details of tho case. Tho Wellington City Council has placed at the disposal of tho Hospital Board tho isolation hospital at Berliamprre, and tho building has been thoroughly prepared for any possible infectious patient. Ahll o'clock last night Dr. Valintine issued tho following bulletin: "There aro now thirty cases under treatment at the Auckland Hospital, threo being Europeans. It lias been found necessary to increase the hospital accommodation by eight beds, and a marquee has been obtained from ■ tho Defenco authorities for this purpose." Word from the outlying districts is as follows:—Dr. Wadmoro reports a case from To Tehro. Dr. Sevill reports a case from Morrinsville, and Dr. Latehmore reports ono at Tirau. Altogether there aro twenty-three cases isolated in the Auckland province, including those in tho Auckland Hospital. Three Europeans have been isolated at Ifawakawa in tho Native school. Dr. Buck (To Rangihiroa, JI.P.) proceeds to Wliangarei to-night with an ample supply of lymph, and a nurse lias been dispatched to Jvawakawa. Dr. Eleanor Baker reports some doubtful cases at Kaihu. Neither Dr. Gunu nor Dr. Boss has made any special report to-day. No further cases havo been reported from Hawke's Bay, but a case has been isolated in. Wellington. There is still a great demand for vaccine from all parts of tho country, and there is quite enough to meet the reasonable demands of country vaccinations. SUSPECT CASE HERE. It is reported that tho case of suspicious sickness, which has been notified in Wellington, occurred in tho household of a northern member of Parliament Tho member in question was not in liis place in tho Houso yesterday, and his absence is attributed to his being under observation as a contact. • PRECAUTIONS. TRAM SEEN TO BE VACCINATED. Seen yesterday, the Mayor stated that ho had been in daily communication with Dr. Valintine with respect to preventive measures. Tho tramway men had to bo vaccinated, but as they could not risk tho sei'vico being interfered with tho men wore to bo treated in groups at different times. By that means the City Tramways Department would always havo a sufficient staff to man the cars, oven if a percentage of tho men were incapacitated for a day or two. Already the council had been approached by tho Tramways Union with regard to the payment of wages during tho time that any members might bo laid aside by tho effects of vaccination. "CHEAP INSURANCE." STATE OFFICIAL ON VACCINATION. "I can hardly understand thb attitude of those people who object to vaccination ac such a time," said a prominent Government official to a Dominion representative. "In the old days when people were vaccinated from arm to arm there wero grounds for conscientious objection, but nowadays, when fresh calf lymph is supplied to every doctor throughout the country almost daily, thero ca.n be little to objeot to. The united weight of medical opinion favours vaccination as a preventive against taking tho disease in its most virulent form. If it only lightens it to tho consequenco of a passing illness, it surely is the cheapest insurance ono could possibly have. I do not think that anyone would object who had lived through a smallpox epidemic. 1 can Temember the early '70's, when it broke out in Dublin. Dublin, in those days, was hardly tho city that it is today, and tho cpidemio liad a 'rare old fling' before it was 'collared.' I can .distinctly remember talking to a, young givl in the street ono afternoon. Tho next afternoon I >met a friend who told me that the young lady was dead and buried. Tliev always bury people who die from smallpox right away, ng it is held that tho bacilli of the disease can bo thrown oft' by the body. In niy : opinion that is where tho crematorium should como in." POINT CHEVALIER. THE CASES IN ISOLATION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland, July 18. There aro now 30 patients suffering from tho prevailing epidemic at Point Chevalier Hospital. The two latest cases aro from Ponsonby and Nelson Street. _Of theso the former was sent out to the isolation hospital late on Thursday night, and tho latter was admitted this morning. Both are Europeans. Suspicious cases which havo been reported to the district health officers comprised ono in Ponsonby, one in Mount Eden, and one in Parnell. The threo patients concerned aro all Europeans. All the patients at Point Chevalier aro progressing well, and there have been no deaths. Some of tho patients will be discharged in the course of a few days. The fact that tho disensc has made its appearance in tho congested area of Nelson Street leads the district health officers to anticipate tho possibility of its spreading further. In order to prevent this, an active vaccination crusade is being instituted. Two medical men, two city sanitary inspectors, and a constable are making a thorough house-to-house visitation in the infected area, and it is hoped that, during tho week-end,, many of tho residents (including children) will be vaccinated. Vaccination is proceeding steadily in other directions, although the rush which characterised the beginning of the campaign, shows signs of relaxing. SOME CRUDE DOCTORS' METHODS. DR. FRENGLEY HOSTILE. Auckland, July 18. Dr. Prengley deprecates the methods of vaccination employed by some medical men as being too hasty. He states tlint it is imperative that a single sterilised needle should bo used for each person, and then thrown away or again sterilised before being used on another patient. Nothing that touches ono vaccinated person should be allowed to touch another, and Dr. Frengley states that the Department will insist upon this rule being adhered to. In order to insuro it being observed ho intends to personally inspect t lie methods of every public vaccinatoi.