EPIDEMIC REPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1828, 14 August 1913, Page 6

EPIDEMIC REPORTS.

QUESTIONS IN HOUSE. Case at Porangahau. Mr. G. Hunter (Waipawa) asked. tho Minister for Public Health, without notice, ,in tli© .Housa of Representatives yesterday, whether ho had noticed a paragraph in The Dominion that morning stating that a Native at Porangaluiu was supposed to have contracted smallpox, and whether the Department had taJccn any action in tho matter. The matter, Mr. Hunter stated, was one of extreme dangar and urgency, owing to the insanitary conditions under which a number of the Natives lived who ocoupied tho pa, and also owing to t.ho fact that a number of tho Maoris owned motor-cars, in which thoy'could readily travel about the coun-

try. Tho Hon. R. H. Rhodes said that the case mentioned by Ma-. Hunter had been reported to him, and that the Department had' already taken action. The case had been reported fin tile previous day, wlien tho District Health Oflicer ree'eived tJw following toJegram from Dr. Sijncox:— "Maori'£ir}"has plisttoUr. 'Developed two days from outset. Symptoms, hsadache, malaise, pyrexia. Rasli began 'body, spread face. Present condition, temperature 100, pu'lso 80. General condition not 'carious, tiuccesstfu.lly vaccinated fortnight ago. Isolated house and contacts. Pku« wire instructions."

The Minister added that tho District Health Officor hail wired to tho district inspector, instructing him to visit tho pa and to tako with him a medical man to consult witih Dr. Simeox. Up to the meeting of tho Hou<;a no reply had been received, but ho could assure the member for Waipawa that ersiy precaution was bciiii taken. Tlie district inspector (Mj\ Gardener) hnd had previous <xperience of smallpox cases. The Department would eeo that all contacts, as well as the patient, weira isolated. ] The Fumigation of Mails. Mr. G. J. Anderson (Mataurn) asked the Minister for Public Health yesterday whether any steps wore being taken by the Postal Department to fumigate mails ooming from smallpox-infectcd districts. Ho suggested infection might, in tho absence of this precaution, bo carried to the South Island.

In reply to Mr. Anderson, the Minister said that the fumigation of mails was a very difficult matter. To make fumigation eflectivo, all letters would have to be opened, and as tho risk of infection.being carried by letters was slight, it was not proposed to fumigate mails at present. Those Lost Anns. Statements that some persons had suffered tho. loss of an arm as an outcome of vaccination were commented upon' as follows in the House of .Repr-csniitatiws yesterday by the Minister for Public Health: "Immediately after the statements were mado the District Health Officers of Auckland and Wellington endeavoured to asosrtain whether there was any truth in them, but po far tliey have been unable to find that the statements have the slightest foundation in fact. It is extremely unlikely that such grave results could continue in obscurity, as the Government would most assurallv have been approached by the persons affected or by thair friends or relatives., Under these circumstances thero is no. need to 'hold ail inquirv into tluso inaccurate statements, whc?i3 "foundation seems to 'have been mero idlo rumouir.". Fiji Quarantine Regulations. The authorities in tho South Sea Islands are taking every precaution to prevent the appearance of tho epidemic in their midst, and very stringent quarantine regulations have been drawn up. No person arriving by a boat from a port declared to Ik infected by smallpox is allowed to land in Fiji until ho has been in quarantine for a period not exceeding fourteen days from the date of departure from the infected port. The island of Makuliwa hns been constituted a quarantine station. Passengers from infected ports must land there until their quarantine term has expired. All cargo must bo discharged and loaded in quarantine, and all passengers must make their landing at Suva. Tho cost of providing all labour, boats canoes, hulks, or punts required in connection with tho working of cargo in quarantine must bo borne by tho agents or owners of tho vessel. SYDNEY'S CAMPAIGN. LEAGUE TOURING TEAM LOSES A MEMBER. (licc. August* 11, 0.45 a.m.) Sydney, August 13. Seven eases of smallpox were reported to-day, including ono . member of tho League team chosen to visit Now Zealand.