QUARANTINED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 108, 31 January 1919, Page 5

QUARANTINED

BAROTONGANS DOING .WELL

ONLY TWO WITH. TEMPERATURES

It will probably calm any apprehension on the part of the public to know that the Barotongan Contingent, which arrived by the Malta and are. now _in quarantine on Somes Island, are doing well. Perhaps > the statements in" the public Press have led to the belief that the few cases which, developed -on the voyage from Rremantle were the "real influenza," as we knew it here in November last, but close investigation arid ob- • -serviition have by no means proved ab-, isolutely that such is the case. In tlie course of a chat with Dr. Watt, District Health Officer, yesterday, a Dominion; reporter was informed of tho position. Ur the whole, contingent of islanders only eight developed light pneumonic- symptoms on the voyage from Fremantle, and of those eight five recovered on the mm. leaving only three affected when the vessel arrived at Wellington. Dr. \Vatl says that when he visited Somes Island oii Wednesday only one of those xases showed a temperature, and, nothing serious at that. There was another one' showing a slight temperature, which was really attributable to' a cold. There have been no developments on the pare of the tlrree patients mentioned, save that they are not at all seriously affected and'were recovering satisfactorily. Dr Watt-and the Malta's doctors agree with him-says that' the men are not affected with influenzal pneumonia at «U, the symptoms and conditions of the men pointing more clearly to slight eases or ordinary lobar pneumonia, to which tlie coloured races are more or,less disposed. There, were fifteen cases, of eicbiess ■on the Malta when she arrived, but they were not all pneumonia, but" as., tj-W were all in the' ship's hospital together they have been treated as contacts, and kept -isolated from the rest of the contingent. and at the same time separate from those touched with pneumonia Although the three cases, with the others who have since recovered, were regarded us having suffered from slight lobar , pneumonia, it was deemed advisable, to take all precautions aa though it new the influenzal ■ vanety-just. to. be on the. - ea Dr ßl Watt states that the Earqtongims; '■ have'been made quite comfortable on the. island. Being islanders .and coming from Egypt they naturally, feel the cold, a little! but otherwise "they are owto contented. They will-probably be kopt in quarantine for- a week subsequent to, the recovery of the three, men. etill confined to their beds, ' ■ - ■