INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 51, 25 November 1918, Page 6

INFLUENZA

I POSITION DURING THE

WEEK-END

NEWS STILL GOOD

1..... i ■ ' ', I .IMPROVEMENT BECOMING

PROGRESSIVE

CASES DOWN BY HALF

I 'The...position regarding the influenza epidemic Jn Wellington, is that tho im- ; provemeut which manifested itself sumo 'days ago"'continues.' Butter still, tho ; improvement ia progressive. Tlio hospij tal admissions havo now' i'ulidii to half , what they were a week or so ago. The > cold southerly which many—rightly or ' wrongly—hoped for bkw- up on' Saturday. •'.To the layman it seemed bad weather for both convalescents and, microbes. ]f ' such weather is a blessing, the city was j plentifully blessed during the wcoK-end. j pistrict committees are now busy push- ! ing the campaign for cleaning up the city and the suburbs. Now Unit the pressure of work in fighting the disease j is. lessening conunittecmen are Sliding ; tnore time to. talk, and revelations of ! dirty localities aro being made. Cleaning :up 'is not the only neglected necessity I wliich has been revealed; the need for ; a- far greater general knowledge of sick . nursing and cooking for invalids has ! been brought prominently forward. • Volunteers, for whom The DoSiinion lias , been appealing i'or over a week, are ' urged by the Minister of Public Health to come forward. It seems clear to-day , that much unnecessary alarm obtained :in the country districts. Tho fact that ; many places were woefully short of doctors'to "deal with the unprecedented rush of illness appears to havo been largely ;,iesponsibla for the alarm. ! ■ ■-.'■ THE SUNDAY BULLETINS ;•- There.were a good many people about f resterday, in striking contrast to the ; previous Sunday, which, of course, was 11 very dull and blustery day. Yester- ' day's , sparkling sunshine, tempered by ; the gentlest of southerly airs, was thor- • oughly: exhilarating, and the spirits of ,- everyone were Ugh tor and happier in : the knowledge that the horror of the ' past week or two was gradually passing i away. '

! ■ Til's communique from the AVellington Hospital , last night was exceedingly en- ' couraging. "Things distinctly better up . here," was the tenor of tho report. ' There were no admissions at all yesterI day, and there were only two on &ituri day—a soldier and a civilian. No deaths i occurred over the week-end. The.Hos[.pital nurses who were at present coni valescent were improving, and some of : them were expected to resume duty within a day or two.

'■' The position in Wellington Central j continues to lighten up, and the helpers int St. John's Hospital said that yesterj'day, was the liest day yet experienced. [It was feared that the'fierce southerly on Saturday would have had a i depressing effect, but the contrary provj.gd to be the case. / The admissions over .-the week-end had materially decreased, ;■ and 'altogether things were looking much (.brighter. t','Gifts, of cigarettes for the convalescent inpatients ' would be. rery greatly appreciated by the committee at St. John's. I . "This is the lightest day we have had," ' stated a worker in the Wellington East ..district last night. There were no urgent cases to attend to. On Saturday , luoi-i usMstante were available, which helped a great deal in easing the labours . of those workers who have so valiantly ; etooil to arms in that area since the.organisation to combat the disease was : tornied. .

! ■■'■"The position is improving all the time '■and"things, are going well, said Mr. J. J.'M'Grath, who is in control of the or- ; ganisation. at lioseneath and Oriental . Bay, last night. "Very few cases are . now being reported,. the patients whom : ire sent to hospital are doing well, and . the convalescents are getting along all ; right" Mr. .M'Grath added that the ■ inspectors who were appointed to snperi vise the cleaning up of the district were : carrying out their duties satisfactorily. : .Miss Nan Taylor, of the "Peg o' My '. Heart" Company, who is a trained nnree, . has placed her services nt the disposal 1 of the Oriental Bay and Koseneath Committee. Miss Taylor is 'attending to exrtrehie cases; and a'member of the com- ; rnittee stated yesterday that she was do.ing very valuable work. "She is. a real ■-Briton," ho said, "and I. don't know : what we would do without Tier." : ' At Miramar, the situation is daily.be- . coming .more .satisfactory. No cases were i admitted to tho hospital in that district ■ yesterday, but on Saturday four were re- ' ported, one of which was serious.