ISOLATED DELPHIC.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 21 August 1913, Page 7

ISOLATED DELPHIC.

OFF SOMES ISLAND.

HUNT FOR THE CONTACTS.

BY DEPARTMENT.

OTHER MEASURES CARRIED OUT,

Tho isolated steamer Delphic is now moored behind ,Somas Island. Dr. Pollen paid a visit to the vessel yesterday, and vaccinatod all those on board wJio'had not submitted to tho operation on tho previous day. Members of tlio crew luul already been mcoinatod at Auckland, anil tho operation was repeated only iu eases wlu<ro tho inoculation hud not "taken." Tho ship has also been thoroughly disinfected, and ovciy part whoro 'contact might have taken place lias been fumigated. Similar . precautions Jiavo been: taken in every place \diero tho patient is known, to have called during his time oi> shore, before his disease was diagnosed, I'oriiistance, the quartermaster who is a victim to tho disease was known to favs visited tho Savings Bank 'department of the General Post Ofiioe on Monday. Tho office has silica been sprayod with disinfectant, and tho officers who handled tho patient's papors have been vaccinated. Tho public tolopliono booth "at the wharf book-stall, which was visited bT members of Wio Dclphic's crew, lias also boon disinfected, as Ikivc the wharf and sheds Along* sido which tho vessel lay, the ambulance in which the man was removed to tho Infectious Diseases Hospital, and the doctor's waiting-room iu which lie eat for some time. Tracking the Stevedores. The dliiof problem which tho Depart* mont has now to face is to traco tlio stevedores who worked the cargo of tho Delphio on Monday, ami who had left before tho existence of the case had been discovered. These men may run a risk unless they are vaccinated, and the Department is sparing no effort to find them a.nd to vaccinate not only themselves, but, so far ns possible, niembars of their familios and other likely contacts. The members of Uk> coaling gang, who were allowed oil shore i oil Tuesday after being vacoinated, had to ngri'3 that the members of their households should alßo submit thomsclvos to inoculation. The Department is rigidly adhering to this arrangement, and vaccination has been enforced amongst members of their families. The Patie'rlt's Progress, Tho length of . time during which tho vessel will have to "lio up" lias not yet been determined, but it is unlikely that she will bo allowed to return to the wharf before Monday ,nt the earliest. It was reported yesterday that tlio patient wtus progressing favourably. His attack is not of a virulent nature, Imt his disorder lias been definitely diagnosed as smallpox uf the samo typo as that, which has attacked Europeans in Auckland. The Complaint by the Coal Gang. The complaints made by tho coaling' crew with regard to their treatment on Monday nigiit, when they were not allowed to leave tho vessel, wero mentioned by a reporter to several officials concerned yesterday, afternoon. It seems as if tho men had niado somewhat of a "raouutaiu from a molehill." It is admitted that there must have been discomfort, but tho occasion was so exceptional, the danger was so great, and t'ho hour was so inconvenient, that tho authorities had no course but to act as they did. Tho Public Health Department's officers went to a great deal of trouble to inform the families of tlio "imprisoned" men where they were, and thus to relieve their quite natural anxiety. It is 'true a. supply of

blankets could not bo found for t'ho men, but there was a sufficiency of good food and hot-coH'oo. - Mayor's Letter to Minister. The Mayor of Wellington. '(Mr. .T. K Luke) yesterday seult tho following letter to the Minister for Public Health (tlio Hon. R, llealon Rhodes):—"Dear sir-I regret to learn that n caso of smallpox has been located on lward tho s.s. Delphic, which was yesterday berthed alt Jervcis

Quay, in this port. The vessel arrived hero on Sunday last, and it is a matter of grave concern to whole of tho people of this city, and district that tho health' of this 'community is endangered by what, to my mind, has been slackness in carrving out tho provisions of the Public Health Act, The opidonnc that lias prevailed in the north of this island has been sufficiently serious to liavo warranted carrying out the ..most exacting conditions to localise --'the. disease, and prevent it spreading to other parts of tlio Dominion. I respectfully .write you "without delay to give instructions tha't all persons using the lines of communication (by laud or sea) between the infected and inspected areas in .tho.north to places south of same, to dimply with:iica-'ssMy regulations of tho-Public Health Act, to safeguard and maintain the general health

of this community. Permit me on behalf of the City Council to plnco nt your servico any of the council's sanitary inspectors to assist in locating contacts with the infected case on the Delphic. Yours faithfully (signed) John P. Luke, Major. August 20, 1913." Official Bulletin. The following oflicial bulletin wasissued at 5 P.m. yesterday by Dr. J. P. l'renglev. Deputv-Chicf Health Officer:— . - ■'The District Health Olhcor, Auckland fDr. Monk) reports;— No.fresh.bases have been reported in Auckland since yesterday's report. One case is reported from Wairie, seven miles from kapo. The, reports from the Wnikalo tlistrict ar<> good. Tho District Health Olhcer Wellington (Dr Chesson) reports that the precaution's, vaccination and surveillance of contacts with the case ex s.s. Delphic aro being continued." THE SYDNEY EPIDEMIC. HEALTH SOCIETY MAKES A , MOVE. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright (llcc. August 21, 0.25 a.m.) Sydney, August) 20. Eleven cases of smallpox wero reported in tho city to-day; 73 patients aro now in (luarantine, and there arc IGG convalescents. The total number of smallpox cases to date is 53G. • Another caso is reported from Litheow, where a hotel waitress has been infected. She had not been in Sydney, nor had she been tin contact with anybody known to have been infected. Replying to a deputation from tho Health Society, Mr. Flowers (Vice-Presi-dent of the Executive Council) said that nothing could bp worse than panic legislation, but a Bill dealing with compulsory vaccination would bo introduced shortly.. It was proposed also_to enlarge the powers of the Board of Health. A suggestion to proclaim Sydney ns a city from which no persons should be able to inovo unless they hod been vaccinated would be, said Mr. Flowers, a very drastic step, and lead to chaos. Replying to a question in Parliament Mr. Flowers said that T2 contacts had lieen quarantined since tho outbreak, ond of theso four became infected with tho disease.