EPIDEMIC & REPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1816, 31 July 1913, Page 7

EPIDEMIC & REPORTS.

THE END IN SIGHT.

DEATH . OF JEANNETTE BULLEN. NOT DUE TO VACCINE. Tho official bulletin issued by onthoritf of tlio State Health Department reads a« follows Dr. Frengloy reports tho total number of patients in hospital (Auckland) , as fifty-nine, of whom fourteen aro .. Europeans. Tho number of deaths to date is twelve, two additional deaths hav- " ing been reported from Mangatautari. There is nothing special to report from the Bay of Islands and other Mq outlying districts. Fuller information is cspectcd to< morrow. ' STEAMSHIP CHANGES. Another of tho Union Company's passenger steamers has been taken off her regular run on account of tho smallpox outbreak. The company amiounco that oil account of tho strict quarantine regulations which are being enforced at Suva tlio Talune'a trip from Auckland to Suva on August 13 has been cancelled. 11l order to avoid anything in the nature of famine at tlio Islands, it has b?en decided that tlio Kauri, which sails from Auckland to-day, will take cargo down to Suva. There was no direct boat, from Sydney to/Wellington this week on account'of tho epidemic at Sydney. Tlio next steamer to arrive hero from Sydney will be tho Maunganui on Wednesday, August G.

JEANETTE BULLEN'S DEATH. ,■> (By Telegraph.—Special CorrespendcnU Hastings, July 30. Tho inquest on the death of Jcanette ICatrina Bullen, tho twelve-year-old daughter of Mr. Bullon, who died on Monday, was conducted to-day before Mr. IT. W. lirabant, Coroner. .Dr. Stcry, who hud held a post-mortem, deposed that his examination rovcaled tubercular disease* in the stomach, and this had produced convulsions, which had been the cause of tho child's death. Ho stated that the existence of this disease , would not bo apparent to the doctors who' had vaccinated lier at tho school. Had he known of this condition lie still would not ■have hesitated to vaccinate hcv nndor tho existent circumstances, as ho did not con-; sider that the vaccination had had anything to do with tho child's death. Dr. M'Kibbin, who had been one of tho public vaccinators, detailed the circumstances under which tho children «t school had been vaccinated. Ho differed from Dr. Story to the extent that ho said that vaccination might hjaye had the cil'ect of stimulating into activity tho latent, tubercular disease. Tho father expressed his surprise at tho information given by tho doctors, as he had always considered tho child to be in good health prior to the vaccination. A verdict was returned that death was duo to convulsions, duo to congestion and inflammation of the bowels, and that m> blame was attachable im respect to vaccination.

CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH. WHEN GRANTED? The Chief Health Ofiicor (Dr. Yaliatiift) . was consulted yesterday as to how lonu \ is allowed to elapse between tho reporting of the last caso of smallpox and tho granting of a. clean bill of h-Mlfh to tlw port atl'octed. Tho point was raised in order to ascertain what the position of Auckland will bo assuming that tho epidemic continues to spread (or even exist) in view of the Exhibition there in December, and further to mako sure that, if tho cpidcmic is chocked, tho part will not suller long after -the last caso in reported. Dr. YaKntiiie stated that there us a provision (made in connection, with tho International Sanitary Convention) which deals with tho period to bo observed between tho reporting of the last e«so and the declaration of a clean port, but that only applied to cholera, yellow fever, and plague. In the caso of plagu< and cholera, the term to be observed was five days, and in the caso of yellow fever eighteen days. Nothing of the kind had , been orr.an.ged between nations for very obvious reasons. Tho simplest of these was that smallpox always existed in Lon- . don, where there was a Smallpox llos- ■':■ pital. It also existed in Paris, in Valparaiso, and other Continental cities. In Germany it rarely appeared,; thanks tn a compulsory ty-stem of vaccination and. revaccination. That was really a very good argument for vaccination. Here ' was a country ill which vaccination was cnmpuL-M'v, and thero you had tho country that 'was practically immune from smallpox. With so many cities in the world never, or scarcely evor, fraß from tile scourge, international .arrangement, which applies in tho case of yellow fever, cholera, a lid plague, ecru Id not a.ppuy in respect to smallpox. far as granting a port a clean bill of health in New Zealand was concerned, it w.n« a matter which was left to the Chief IWilth Officer to decide, and, though h*> had made no fixed reflation about, the matter, it would probably bo as Ton? as the longest, period of- incubation after tho last ease was cured—about twelve ''Dr. Valintine states that, tho one Weiliimton cave was progressing quite ffltisfactoril.v toward complete recovery, and that no further cases haul been reporter in this district. DISEASE MAKING HEADWAY IN THE COUNTRY. (Rec. July 30, 8.55 p.m.) Sydney, July 30. Despite all efforts to restrict tho smallpox outbreak, the epidemic is making headway in tlio country. Another caso has been reported from TJlmarra, and thero is also ono cach at Xa-rrabri and Goulburn. These arc all t'lio inland eases which so far liavo been traceable.

END OF EPIDEMIC. "STAMPED OUT IN A MONTH." ■ (liy Telegraph—Press Association.) Auckland) July 30. The epidemic appears to have been stamped out as far as. tho city and sub- ( urbs of Auckland aro concerned. To-day the District Health Ollicer was able to announce that no fresh eases had been discovered near the city. Two luoro cases—both Maori women—have been reported from Waiheke, and tho patients have been sent to l'oint Chevalier. Tho number now in the Isolation Hospital totals 59, and, next week, further convalescents will Iks discharged. Dr. Rpcdding reports that all tho patients at Point Chevalier havo been inoculated, but in no case did the vaccination "lake." A visit was paid to tho Isolation Hospital by Dr. Frcngley, and ho reports that nil the patients aro doing well, although two of tho Maori women aro still somewhat severely affeoted. Information luis been received by tho District Health Office lo the effect tlmt Dr. Elizabeth (Sunn had reported another case—that of a Maori from Parawera (Teawaniutu). Dr. Frcngley wrote, confirming the fact that six deaths had taken place to date through the epidemic at Maungatutari, These included an infant, and live Maoris, whose ages ranged from .'ls to SO years. Two acute eases', those of infante, arc reported by Dr. Cawkwelt from ITilcurangi North, and the doctor also reports that three convalescent adults attended for vaccination at Kailcou. Dr. Krongloy. who has l>een representing the' Chief Health Ollicer (Dr. Yalint«ne). in the District Health Ofliee, returned to Wellington by the Main Trunk express this evening. ' Prior to his d». parture he expressed tho opinion tlmt lh<> cpidemic would be stamped out within n. month.