MENACE OF INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2711, 4 March 1916, Page 6

MENACE OF INFANTILE PARALYSIS

CASES IN THE DISTRICT CITY COUNCIL ALERT STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR Seven notifications of infantile paralysis in the AYollington Public Health District were received by the Department yesterday. Tho new cases are distributed as follow:—Three at Gisborne, one at Otakelio (near Stratford), one at Sawera, one at Greytown, and one at Fcatherston. Two children at Eastbourne were stricken a few days ago with a maladv which aroused some suspicion, but it has now been definitely declared not to bo infantilo paralysis. So serious is the spread of infantile paralysis in Auckland that it lias been deemed advisable to close tho State schools both in that city and Hamilton (the centre of the Waikato district). The disease has also made its malignant presence known in widely separated parts of tho Wellington iKiblic Health District, notably at Gisborne, which has experienced a very hot, dry summer. The disease exists in' Wellington, not tc any marked oxtent, nerhaps, but the mere fact that it is here has put tlic authorities on the qui vire, and a campaign of cleanliness and disinfection - is being instituted, and will'be firmly enforced. Yesterday morning the Mayor (Mr, .T. P. Luke) and the City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) had a conference with the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Frenglev) as to measures to be taken to fighl the malady, and wli'at is to he done is sot out in tho Mayoral statement below. Mr. Morton and Dr. Frengley visited tho principal picture theatres and His Maicsty's Theatre during the week, tc satisfy themselves that cleanliness was being observed and that proper ventilation was being provided. It is to the credit of the theatre proprietors thai the.v found, .the sanitary condition! satisfactory, and tho managements willing to do all in their power to do anything further that'was considered to hi in tho interest of the health of theii patrons. Tha Mayor's Appeal. The Mayor's statement is as - follows :— "Up to the present there have beer four cases in' Wellington, a fact nlreadj communicated to the public. In one case it was quite dear that the natienl came from Australia auite recently, bul it is not clear that the infection was brought here'from Australia • by thai case or by any person who travelled with the case —a- child. The s°cond cast is from a locality close to Wellington and here there >is evidence that tin patient canie into contact with someone from the Auckland district.. That fact is clearlv . . "I fe"l it my duty to urge the citizens, all of them, to in every possible way to co-operate with the council ir stops that may be necessary to arresi the spread «f this dreadful disease nmong us. To take all possible precautions to prevent its gaining strwiftl: here is the duty nf oyrvuie. It hat been proved beyond all doubt that 'carriers' may be people of 'quite robusl health, scrupulously. clean, and by lit means likely to be suspected of disseminating disease., In order to minimise tlic ' risk of thn disease, public buildings—anv buildings—w'Jiere numbers of peonlo congregate' should he thoroughly cleansed froni dust. Workshops. offices, and private houses shon'M be 'kept, free from dust, and eertainb day schools, Sunday schools, and ibeatrps should be kept free from dust, flip theatres ar»- alreadv being dealt with, and the Health D n nartment. in conn'ec+ion "-"'ith the Wellington Hos. nitftl, lias all the information available that is necessary. This will be willingly imparted to anv desirous of bavins it, and whose dutv, it is to make t.V necessary prenarations for carrying out the work of cleaning up and of combat ing the spread of the disease.,. Fumigation of Schools. "I have communicated with the chairman of the Education .'Board, (the Hon J: •G. W. Aitken) with respect to the cleansing and fumigation of the schools and am asking the board to co-operate with the City health authorities in tlii< vitally important work. I hone that wi can wholly relv upon the authorities o' tho churches in a strict cleansing ane fumigation of. Sunday schools anc churches.' "Again, we want the help of tin travelling public, visitors returning t< the city" from Auckland, and visitor) from Auckland district. We want then to take all precautions, so. that the? shall not be'the. vehicles hv which'in fection shall spread to Wellington. _ I is not necessarily tho-weak . and sickl: who can spread the disease, but also tin strong and well. The trouble is mos acute in tho Auckland district at thi time, and no one can be too careful Travellers from tho north should no think, because of their own immunit; from the disease, that they cannot con voy it. We know only too well to thi contrary. . . Trains and Cars. ' "The carriages of the . Main Trunl trains from _ Auckland are often nios congested with people. They are liighl; charged with dust,. There is great dan ger in the dust. These carriagos shouh receive TJie strictest attention of:thi railway authorities, be thoroughly clean od out, and thoroughly disinfected lliey should be kept much more clcai than thov usually are, and sprayed ou with disinfectant. The Railway Do partment must co-operato with the Cit; in this matter. "As for our tramcars, they ari scrupulously cleaned out every night and tho general manager, Mr. Morton will sec that they pro so efficiently dis infected that 110 loophole shall be let for attributing the spread of the diseasi through that agency; that there shal be 110 risk of spreading infection througl tho cars. "No expense will he spared by thi City Council in dealing with this prob lem. I have ; nstructed. the City En gineer to obtain all that is necessary and not to spare labour whore la bow is roouired 111 dealing with tho problem "With respect to the city stables ane flies, tho council is obtaining a specifW to efficiently cope with this pest, and t< prevent the spreacl of the disease In them. We have the remedy, which wil be sold to all stable owners at the cosl prico of the article to the council. No Expense to be Spared. "The City Council is determined ir this matter." No expense will be spared. All I ask is Tor tho co-operation ol everyone, and especially those having t< do with large bodies of people. W< can manage tho theatres all right; the Education Board, I am sure, will see that what is right and proper shall be done in tho schools. We want the Church authorities to , recogniso the gravity of this disease, and to do theii utmo-st in carrying out tho necossan sanitary precautions to prevent its gainill" a. strong footing in Wellington." Householders who have oases of the disenso should recognise that it is essential that p'.'tici'.ts should be confined tc one room. That room will be fumigated but if the patient is taken from room tc room, then all into which it has gone should be attended to 4