INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 50, 23 November 1918, Page 8

INFLUENZA

I STILL IMPROVING i ENCOURAGING REPORTS ; YESTERDAY I FEWER BAD CASES ! VOLUNTEERS" STILL REQUIRED

' 'The""news'of tho wet on tho influonza ' epidemic is still good. All who are in apposition to jnjijje Estate that the epii demio is gradually being mastered in •'" the city. Good news is to hand by : the'' Press Association messages from ' ' distant cities and towns, and the 1 üblic i Health Department eays that tho general i position ••appears' ■■•to be: fairly good. ■ In " the city the whole atmosphere has I changed for the better. A week ago ■ ■ stories of terrible and sudden deaths : filled tho air; to-day they are almost uni hoard of. This ?reat change must be ' due to the fact that peoule are now being ! Riven attention before they reach a hopei lees, condition. Although *hc organisa- ' tions have been in existence for some ; little time now. it is a ?nd fnct that 1 . they' are ■ still short of volunteers. Iho j "noblest work in the world is to be hint ! for the asking, and all-too few: are ask- ; ing. I "No Alarming Reports From Anywhere." 1 The Public Health-Department report- ■ cd yesterday as follows:— : "Generally,.-. speaking, ■ tho position. ': seems to be'fairly good. " ' . ' ■ "Thfi reports i'rbni the con-try districts ; are fairly It does r.ot seen. . now as if the epidemic is getling ah»ad. i Medical attendance seems fo have '"»n : pretty-satisfactory in. most places. Tliero '■ were'n'n alarming Teports from anywhere ; torday." • ,■ : "A pretty Decided Improvement." i Wellington . Hospital reported:—".A ; general improvement—a pretty decided improvement." »\ good many patients were-.-going out. .that day, and many of , the recovering nurses were ln>in<» ?pnt away for. a week's hoTiliy. A f<™- days , apo .there, were nvor 500 siclc in rh» institution; yesterday there n-ere 470. Position Easier in' Central. •■ ■ ; Wellington Central reporb. that the ! position was- easier yesterday. Not ■ many fresh cases came in during the ' .('ay. The reports received from the '. doctors 'and nurses- were. good. Of ; (d;irse, there aw some cases still lequir- ' ing the care of both doctors and nurses. At Wellington College. ; Dri A. K. Ni'Wmnn, M.P.. who is in •' charge of the Wellington College Hosi nital,-- reports . a great improvnnient. i For the, first" four days , the oases were ! terribly ."'ill. "SD'oinany being brouiriit in J in the very. iaH'stages, porno'dying iu i a few hours, hopeless for treatment. ! On Thursday matters improved..and y*"--' ; (erday tho outlook all round was,vastly ; better. There are still many bad oases, ! but the class of oases is now ' 'inich ; better,.-coming-.in-.in «udi. « condition ' that, with nurs'Pf, they wMl'most of i them recover, Miry have.be,™.sent to : coDvdlescerit and their own homes, where ; good. : \. - ~; '.•'■" ' ' . : All at St. Patrick's Improving. : "Things are going very well here." ; St. Patrick's .College reported. "All the ; patients are improving. .Two convalesj cents went away yesterday, one to-day, . and'there will be several in a few-days. ! As patients go out, the beds are filled '■ withcfreslr 'cases, but -the new eases are ; not so sgyere as' those which came in previously. The patients seem to be I getting in here now before they are too : bad to do much for." ... . :' :■ Going Well 'at Roseneath ; Mr. J. J. M'Grath, who is at the head j of the IJoseneath fiiVnished i a report yesterday which indicates that ! things "are'-'soing particularly well in the • -hillside suburb. The doctor had report- ■ en that day that all the natients wero . either convalescent or doing well. The volunteer visitors also 'have eiven good ; reports." The fight against the disease ; in this .suburb has been strenuous, but j the organisation is now' on top. : Cheerful Report From Karori. '* A'cheerful report fame to hand from i Karori yesterday. The advice, was that ; things '.were on the mend, the doctor re- '. porting-a great'improvement in all cases 1 visited. "Cheerful all round," tlm report ! concluded. "The worst is over." j How the Hospitals Stood Yesterday., ; The Health Department stated yester- ' day., afternoon that the position in the : Wellington hospitals then was as follows: Beds vacant , 35 ' Admissions in. half day 23 !'■ Discharges' „..,.....; ;..-. 19 i ' ■ -Position 'Easier at Brooklyn. • iv Brooklyn reported yesterday that there ! were still a number of serious cases in j the district,: mostly consequent upon noi I Deing able to get medical attention in I the' earlier stages. . -There were not so i in any new cases of a serious nature coni- : ing in. As the hospital (in the school) ;. wa«iquite filled, they-were fitting up an- . other room with beds.; The Brooklyn • Executive' would' bo grateful for cont'ri- ; buttons,. to'..a ; Telief.-..fund for adults and' ! children. The executive is also anxi- ' "us to hear froin people- who can offer ! hospitality to children whose parents or : guardians are sick'/ There is, still a j heed for capable workers for visiting and : nursing. . ; ! Another Cheering Report. : "ft is/ cheering to bo able to report ! that last evening calls were still less j nunid'ons at Wellington North-," states ' the-Eev. Robertson Orr. "Two hun- | (ired and fifty appeals and offers of all 1 eorts were received; only a few of the ■ former were eerious cases. The supply : of V.A.D.'s is also better, and a suffi!'cient. humber't of these was forthcoming ! to provide an eight-hour ehif' at tho , Normal School. Tho committee's efforts ;' among business jwople in this rtjard were better rewarded, as many firms readily acceded ; to the appeal for vork- ! ers and. released some of their : staff.. " Messrs. Kirkcnldie and Stains ; have gone as far as to close up in order , to release workers. Still more V.A.D.'s . ore required, especially those who are ready'to do.an eight-hour shift.- Volunteers should ring up 4G13, or apply to : the''Normal School'-'or :at .St. Andrew's Church." • • Best Night Since Epidemic Started. ■ The Pt. John's Schoolroom temporary hospital reported late last night tha't they had had the best night since tho 1 .epidemic broke out. A similar report , was received regarding Mitchelltown, Petone's Big .Fiaht. , Petone has been fislitin» its own fi^lit j against the epidemic with characteristic I Bturdiness. The disease obtained a big I hold in the more thickly populated parts . of the townrand there were many serious ' cases, but ($ diminution in these is now recorded, and the Mayor (Mr. J. W. , ,11'Ewan) hopes that the worst is now ." over. Petone has been greatly hampered in attending to its sick by not being ablo to secure any fruit, or at not nearly sufficient for tho. requirements of thoso '; in need. If there-aro those who can by any legitimate means secure supplies of orimges or lemons the same would bo most _ gratefully received by the llayor : and judiciously served out only to those who would benefit most by them. Tho ' Gear Meat Company has been a source . of great help in fighting the epidemic. • Th? works have supplied soup practically : , to tho whole of those in nded of it, anil I the company's vehicles and works staff ; have done excellent work rijiM tliroii;;!] the campaign. l)rs. Boss and' Hardine ' have had a trying time, and are still ■ working overtime in a spirit of cheerful' i nesj. . ■

i ■ ■ Position at the Hutl. ; Reports from Lower Hutt are of a ' ch(fe'rin& , <naturo. , 'Mr. E'/fiV'-'Rfthvorth i (Mayor) .reports that there is still a fair ! number of cases beinij reported, but no i terjoiis ones, and- the '.fhdicntions are that ; tW: ravages- of the';. disease . are neinß ■ cheekerl... ..Sufficient accommodation- is ! available in tents should there be an;

retrogression. Food is coming in freely, but Mr. Rishworth states that monetary assistance from those unable to give personal service will bo gladly welcomed aad acknowledged by the Mayor. Elsewhere an appeal is made to the county authorities 'to deal with cases beyond the borough boundary, as all the borough helpers, aro' needed within the borough. There is still urgent need for helpers to assist in food distribution and canvassers to keen in touch with new cases. No fruit. is now available for distribution by the authorities, but stocks of the standard medicine and cough mixture are now available.