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INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

OUTBREAK AT GISBORNE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADVISES PRECAUTIONS. /By Toleerncli —Apsnflatloa-' Auckland, February n. Ten additional cases of infantile paralysis were notified to-day—three from the city and seven from tho country— making a total of 89 cases. OUTBREAK IN GISBORNE. Clsborna, February 11. Infantile paralysis has made an appearance in Gisbome. A girl aged six years died from this cause at the Hospital yesterday, and there are at present two otlier cases in the institution, one aged 17 and the other an infant. There are al§n four scarlet fever cases in the Hospital., STATEMENT BY THE HEALTH AUTHORITIES PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN. The authorities of the Public' Health Department yesterday gave to a reporter of The Dominion some information regarding the outbreak of infantile paralysis and tho precautions to he taken to combat tho disease. The malady, it was pointed out, had visited New Zealand be)ore, and years ago it was prevalent in Otago district. The present outbreak began in the Auckland district about Christmas-time, (luring the spell of hot weather. Tho disease was always associated if|ih hot weather. In Wellington there had so far been only one undoubted case, and the patient was making excellent progress. . There had been several cases in the Wellington country districts, but these had been uniformly mild, and no deaths had occurred. There was therefore no occasion for any' feeling of alarm. Children under ten years of age, it was stated, were mostly affected, and infants between one and throe years of age were particularly liable, 'it was not weaker children who were always affected, but very often strong, robust children were suddenly stricken with the disease. The symptoms were not particularly characteristic. The' child appeared out of sorts, Testless, often refused food, and had a temperature from 100 to 30.3 degrees. There was often some headache, and there might be vomiting and occasionally convulsions. In some- cases there were no early symptoms at all. The first thing was tho paralysis. The paralysis usually came on in about one to two days from the early symptoms, and the mother would notice, perhaps, that the child could not move its legs. The paralysis usually occurred inHhe limbs, although the- trunk and body muscles were sometimes affected. Practically all the constitutional symptoms disappeared within a day or two, aud the child was left with the paralysis. There was always some improvement, practically invariably, but in about 60 to 75 per cent, of cases some permanent paralysis remained. With regard to the precautions to be taken, tho child, states tho Public Health Department, should be kept in the fresh air, but away from the dust, and should not be taken to places where there was an aggregation of adults. Kissing should ho absolutely forbidden, and sea-bathing; anil paddling, owing to the liability of a chill, should not be allowed in the meantime. The children should not bo exposed to the bites of insects of whatever nature, and all domestic animals should be kept away from the children. Adult members of the family ■ should gargle the throat daily with some mild antiseptic' fluid, and should suck an antiseptic tablet from time to time, as for instance, formalin tablets. Eucalyptus might be inhaled with advantage, and all foodstuffs, especially milk, should be. carefully guarded from flies. Tho notification of the disease was compulsory, and the isolation of all cases, vigorous disinfection, and in the case of adults the gargling of the throat should then bo caned out.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19160212.2.44

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
579

INFANTILE PARALYSIS. Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 6

INFANTILE PARALYSIS. Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 6

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