CAUSE OF INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 206, 26 May 1919, Page 6

CAUSE OF INFLUENZA

INFLUENCE OF THE WEATHER,

The mystery of the influenza epidemic in Australia is (says the "Daily Telegraph" of Sydney) likely to occupy the attention of scientists for eome time to come. The exact effects of inoculation, and the duration of (hose effects, have yet to be determined, and now tho aid of the meteorologist is being called in by the Commonwealth quarantine authorities to ascertain whether it is possible to connect tho sudden blazing up of influenza in Australia with any unusual feature in tho weather.

The quarantine authorities, for in stance, want to discover, if possible, whether there was any factor ia the weather during January, February, March, and April favourable to influenza which did not show itself in Australia in October, November, and December. Secondly, the* desire to know if there was any weather factor existing iii Melbourne in January and the early part of February which did not exist in Sydney until February and March, when tho Sydney outbreak became more severe, following on the ppidfinii; in Melbourne, and. thirdly, an interesting point for investigation is us to whoa there was anything in common ,in the weather conditions between the summer of 1018-19 and the summer of 1891-92, when the last extensive , lnftuenzi epidemic occurred in Australia. It is thought that a collection of nioteorolosinl evidence of this description, in addition to nil available medical evidence, ir.ivy help to throw some further light on the cause of the epidemic.