INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2751, 20 April 1916, Page 6

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

WHY THE SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED

MORE CASES IN WELLINGTON HEALTH DISTRICT.

Three fresh oases of infantile paralysis were _ reported in the Wellington Health District .yesterday. They came from the following places:—Waipawa, Ormond (near Gisborne), and Gisbome.

Dr. Sidney Smith, District Health Officer, who has just returned from a visit to Picton, Blenheim, Motueka, and Nelson,- says that it is strange that Picton had, had tho majority of cases of infantile paralysis in those places. Up till yesterday there had ,becn six cases in Picton, and only-one case in Blenheim, and that was the case of a woman who had recently returned from Wellington. In Nelson no , cases had been reported up to the present, while in Motueka there had been four, but the whole of the public in this district Wis now taking precautions with the nose and throat, and with regard to fleas and sanitary conditions. There was every Teason to hope that no further cases would be reported there. WHY THE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED. In referring to; tho infantile paralysis Rouble at the monlWy meeting of tho w olungton Education Board vesterday afternoon, the chairman (Hon. J. G. W. Aitken) said that they_ had had to close some of' the schools in order to thoroughly disinfect them and administer a good cleaning up, and m that respect good work had been done. The epidemic had a great effect on the attendances at_ the owing to many of the children being kept away. When the Easter holidays were approaching it became a question as to whether it was expedient to call the children together again for a week or so beforo the first term, holidays or not, and on consulting the Health Department' authorities . the.v expressed the opinion that it would be better to unite the holidays. Bv the time these were over.tho weather would be colder, and ho hoped that by that time infantile paralysis would be'a thing of the past. That was why the holidays had been taken together. ' ¥ oss (Pahiatua) said that not only did they have infantile paralysis, but measles, and he thought that they should see that all the schools Tver© thoroughly scrubbed out and disinfectea during holidays. Fumigation should be carried out at least ouco in the existence of a school. Though schools were cleaned,' the desks were never washed, and the walls were never scrubbed.

In answer to a question from Mr. Moss,' the eeoretarv stated that the board only paid for the, material used m fumigation and for any special assistance the ; fnmifiator may need. (Masterton) dwelt on the extraordinary characteristics of tile malady. He related that about three weeks asro in Masterton a child hvo years of ago became paralysed, on one side, and still was allowed to be wheeled about in a perambulator. A fortnight later another little girl, 5J years old, who was "at school on the Monday, took 'ill on the _ Tuesday and died 011 Wednesday evening. Her illness was said.to A day or two later an infant) iir the same bonrhood took" ill and died, and her complaint was- pronounced to be convulsions of 'the stomach, .and another child died in the saine'locality of convulsions. Mr. Hoeg said he was afraid tile medical men knew very little about the illness, which is a very deadly disease. 'What he had related were facts. Only three case's of infantile paralysis were reported in the Wellington Health District yesterday. They' camo from I'almerston North, Picton, and Hastings. ANOTHER CASE IN MASTERTON. By Telegraph.—(Special Correspondent.) , ; ■ Masterton, April 19. Another child was admitted to the hospital to-day 'suffering from infaiitiro paralysis.