THE VEILED PLAGUE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2884, 23 September 1916, Page 11

THE VEILED PLAGUE

PREPARING FOR THE CAMPAIGN. "Tho scheme for the campaign against disease throughout New Zealand is now well advanced,"' said the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell) yesterday. "It is hoped that within a very short time circulars ■ will be forwarded to all hospital boards containing tho 'Government's proposals. The" circulars, and orders issued by the Local Government Board of Great Britain have been received, and the Now Zealand soheme'will he based as nearly as possible upon these, with such extensions and amendments as the varying necessities of the Dominion require. The portions of the scheuw that remain to be considered concern the relation of New Zealand to, other places, more-particularly Australia, Tahiti, and Rarotonga. "Tho Minister of Defence has agreed that the pamphlet prepared for circulation among the soldiers may. .be circulated among civilians, and applications have already been received for copies for distribution. "Wo are takiug steps_ to prevent persons afflicted with serious venereal disease from lauding in Now Zealand. Already one man has been stopped—a civilian who arrived by n direct liner. He was found to be suffering from syphilis, and was declared au undesirablo immigrant. The result was that the ship had. to hold him on. board while loading and unloading oil the coast, and tako him back to Great Britain. "Another step-wo have taken is to declare ophthalmia ncotorum a .notifiable disease. This is ouo of tho diseases affecting children at birth."