INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 48, 21 November 1918, Page 6

INFLUENZA

! ALL GOES WELL

■WE HAVE BROKEN THE ?ACK

OF IT"

I THE BEST DAY YET

■ PROVIDING FOR CONVALESCENTS

(The best news since the epidemic took Wellington in its grip was gathered yesjrday. The back of tho trouble is token, and the day's reports and results roughtNwith them more brightness than io city has experienced since the commencement 'of its', campaign against the isease. 'With all the inquiries made by he Dominion, only tne district was uncle to say that it had that day professed for the better- The Health Deartment is. very confident now, and vol-, htary conniiittees are unanimous in tho pinion that we are on the high road to ictory over.the hidden foe. Hundreds

: those.who were down with influenza j while ago are now convalescent, and lere, may .soon be a general movement | provide accommodation for people who j-e recovering. The Wellington Hospiih Board, has sent ".out a small number '.its nurses to convalescent homes, and jhers are ready'to" go, ' Suitable places >r convalescing in are wanted. The lilitary camp reports show that the di!ase ;s fast going under in their quar-' Irs, and the figures which wero so large jme .lays ago have now shrunk remarkply. ' In-the camps in the Wellington (strict there are now fewer men in the bspitals than thero were in one camp. Dspital only a little while ago. And 'any of the men now. counted as hospil'l cases are really convalescents. ■ The anth-rate in ihe camps has fallen heavy. There are still many serious cases i the city, the suburbs, and the camps, i it will bo a while yet before we. can ok forward to an almost total disapjarahce of deaths from influenza. The ;eat fact is that to-day it can'be said iai yesterday was the best day Wcllingin has had since the epidemic took its :g hold. That is good news indeed.

ealth Officer's Encouraging Statement. ;i)r. Makgill, of the Public Health Detriment, made the following statement j a Dominion reporter yesterday :— i"As far as I kjfow, things are going fell, j Such reports as I have received fe encouraging. The reports from the imps are very satisfactory. The report !om Auckland is encouraging. A good j any cases are'still coming in, but they low a lessening in the virulence of the isease. }"l- think we have broken the back,of, J, Epidemic Waning. in the Camps. [Yesterday's health reports.from the imps all indicate that influenza is onle wane among the soldiers. The -reirfs are:— i' . Trjntham. : Paraded sick 10 i Admitted to hospital i • In hospital i.....-....:;..-1493 ; '' Serious.cases ...J. :...; ..' 97 '" i ■ Featherston. r Paraded tick .27 • Admitted" to hospital ■ 3 i In hospital 566 i Serious cases ........,...: 97 Awajnni, '--.." * Paraded sick ...........:. 3 - , Admitted to hospital '. 0 i'' In hospital :.... i 21 ■ Influenza cases 19 ■ Serious cases' '. 0 | "Things Still on the Improve." \ Wellington Hospital reported yesterday iat"things seem to be still oil the' imrove." The doctors are gradually getng better. Dr. Barclay was about jain yesterday morning, and Dr. Fitzsrald' is expected to be • about in a iuple of days. IDr. Muir, who has been in. charge of ie-Fcer Hospital cases—some of the lost serious—is down with the disease, ne of the southern doctors has replaced iru. ,The hospital matron (Miss Stott), who as had a rather bad time with the jmplaiht, is improving. •.:

. Brief but Cheering. jThe report of the rector of St. Patrick's pllege yesterday was nearly as brief as ; was'cheering r ' '"The hqspital is full--up; but everyiing is going very well."

! . , The Best Day Yet. ; Wellington Central, one of the most irioasly affected areas, sent out yesteray the most hopeful report it has made nriDg the campaign: ■"The-.best duyv we-.-iave had. Things re looking a lot brighter," was the rebrt. • Fairly Quiet at Sydney Street. 'Sydney Street Hospital reported yes-irday:j-"We have had eight admissions i-day, and otherwise things' - are fairly iiiet now. There have been two deaths *ne this morning, and one this afterpon." : Everything Going All Hight. ;Two members of the -Wellington Hos-italßoard-Mr. Baldwin (the chairman) pd Mr. C. Jf.. Luke-are, (luring the' .visiting Wellington Hospital i"b",'.lhey Slake a thorough round of the jstituhon; and obtain personal reports jom the doctors, the matron, and so on. Ir. Baldwin was asked yesterday if leso'reports gave any good indication as ) how things we're going. "They all '"'cate that everything is going all ght, he replied. \ '■ New Cases Less Severe. i.The temporary hospital at Wellington ,o lege is nearly full. There aro 105 ?ds m the place and 100 patients. IDr. A. K. Newman, JI.P., the doctor ; charge, reported last evening :—"The lass oi ease now coming in is not so jvere as the class admitted in the first iree 'days. Everything is, miming retty smoothly. Several patients luivo 3eii sent to' their residences or to conlilcscent homes. However, the vacant eds will soon be filled again." Other Evidence of Abatement. '.A Catholic priest who' has been workig.nightjjand day answering sick calls urine the epidemic supports the opinJn -of the. authorities that the trouble is bating. _ Ho says that yesterday the ills to sick bedsides were far fewe,r than ?e calls received a few days ago, and > also were the deaths. Like the doc>rs and the volunteer workers ho found sme of the earlier calls to ,bo highlv larmist; people went to bed with fright pt influenza. 6 ' • In the Camps, ;The Minister of Defence told a Domik-' PN reporter yesterday that the reports rom the camps were most reassuring, .he epidemic was in hand, and tho jiedical authorities were dealing now uth the afteimath of the trouble. Few resh cases were being reported, and the Emus cases had practically all been admitted some time ago. "I cannot say oo much in appreciation of the snlenid spirit that has been displayed bv 11 Tanks in dealing with (ho epidemic,''' aid the Minister. "The men, includag many recruits who had been in amp-only a short time, have worked heerfullyand indefatigably. They have iboured in a spirit of willing service nd true comradeship." On the Waterfront. Events on the waterfront yesterday leva very quiet. Only one ship was bong unloaded. At the clearing station for" nfluenza cases two seam 311, who had sen admitted on Tuesday, were dischar;,''d fit for duly, and there was one fre«h iatient brought in from the Palooni. laptain Jlals Goudio, of the TVenoh hirque Colonel de VilleboJs Marenil, and ;lso the chief officer of the verse], wore taterday admitted to St. .John's Hosjital. On Duty Till Ordered to Retire. 'The.-.iiii.-ses- at Wellington Hospital avedone their eharo in fighting this pidemic, but only those in close touch •ith the institution know how hard

lliey worked. Tho chairman of the Hospital Hoard (Mr. Baldwin) wished to say a good word for them yesterday, but came to the conclusion that "words could not express his admiration." "They worked wonderfully well," he said, "and, more than that, they did their work in most trying circumstances. They remained, on duty no matter what their condition till they were ordered to retire. You can quite understand that when the instituion wjis suddenly flooded with a hundred or more- additional cases it meant a tremendous strain on tho staff. -When it is said that there were just over 51)0 patients in the institution, that number does not inchulo the patients in the Victoria Hospital, which is now a military hospital, livery bed here is still full, and the'nurses and doctors .are still slicking to their tasks. Words cannot express my admiration for them." ' "We Want Motor-cars." "Wo want motor-cars more than anything," says Mr. Foster, of the Wellington East Committee. 'The women here are working at very high pressure, and they could do a great deal more if there were more cars at our disposal. At prosent motor-cars are uur greatest need." No Shirkers. The extent to which the epidemic has affected the staff of the Wellington Hospital is remarkable. Up till Tuesday there were seventy-two nurses down with influenza, and yesterday's additions to the sick list bring the total up to about eighty. The medical staff was almost depleted, and has had to be constantly reinforced. The office staff has almost entirely gone off duty, the ambulance drivers were included among the sick, porters fell ill, and the laundry/ and other departments were, affected.' l Still, the institution has carried on and done its work well. There can have been no shirkers along there. Supply of Vaccine Coming. . A doctor in the Public Health Department was asked yesterday if, in view of the news from Australia, New Zealandwas likely to make any move concerning vaccine. He replied that in anything we did 'here we would have to go about the matter very cautiously. We are going to got a supply of it." • .

Railway Passenger Services. Some little time ago it was thought that owing to the epidemic there would be drastic changes in the railway pas'senger services. An inquiry was made yesterday,-and the reply was that the • Railway Department was doing the best it could, and that there was no curtailment affecting Wellington immediately on hand. A Warning' Mot Heeded '. Notwithstanding Dr. Makgill's condemnation of the use of formalin, circulars were being issued yesterday advocating ita use. Dr. Valrgill deprecated the use of this and other irritants, saying that they had caused unnecessary suffering, and that they did more harm than good. Homes for Convalescent Nurses, .The chairman of the Hospital Board (Mr. H. Baldwin) was interviewed yesterday regarding the accommodating of convalescent nurses from the AVellington Hospital. "So far," »aid Mr. Baldwin, we have found accommodation for about eighteen of them. Some of them are to go to private houses, and in other instances suitable houses have been taken over to accommodate the nurses. Home are- away to these places already, and some will go to-day (Thursday). Y\'e will nave little batches of convalescents every two or three days, so we hope to receive other offers of accommodation. "Island Bay is one of the localities preferred for the convalescents because of the sea air.

; Places wmch have tennis or croquet lawns attached are particularly well suited to be homes for convalescents. The recovering patients need places where they can get into the fresh air and can ta*e a little light exercise." Short of Invalid Foods. The management of the temporary hospital at the Normal School asked The Dom, Nl on last evening to appeal to the .public for beef tea, broth, and other S T lll flu . lmve P alients there m need of. these things and they have run short.