CAMPAIGN AGAINST FLIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2900, 12 October 1916, Page 4

CAMPAIGN AGAINST FLIES

A NECESSARY PRECAUTION. A campaign against that very dangerous disease carrier, the common house fly is shortly t« bo entorcd upon by the Public Health Department. The Minister (the- Hpu. G. W. Russell) stated yesterday tfcat instructions had been issued fbr the preparation of regulations for tlio carrying out of this campaign. "The danger of the common fly as a carrier' of infectiou's disease," ho said, "is now so fully recogu' s * f l tna i the destruction of flics has bcosme essential to the preservation of public health. The Department has for i'everal months past been watching developments. Quite recently a was received from the Homo authorities dealing with special diseases in the Mediterranean war zone. One of tho. chapters in this pamphlet related to winged posts and disease carriers. It contained a great deal of valuablo information about flies, and as a result tho Department of Public Health has been instructed to prepare regulations to enable the utmost powers given by tho law to be put into effect for the purpose of destroying flies, more particularly in places where food is sold, prepared, or handled, and in such places as stables, in cities, and towns, and other local government areas, where flies aro often very plentiful. I hope that these regulations will soon be ready._ When they are ready a, circular will bo issued to all municipal authorities directing their attention to tho very wide powers conferred upon them as local bodies to assist the Health Department in dealing with theso and other matters.

"In view of the approach of the season when epidemics appear, a circular letter is also being forwarded to «n'municipalities drawing their attention to the great importance of careful supervision of the sanitary conditions in all onr towns,, especially in _ back yards and such places where disease germs are likely 'to be bred."