INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 61, 5 December 1919, Page 6

INFLUENZA

SLIGHT TENDENCY TO REVIVE

ONLY A MILD FORM

SEVERE EPIDEMIC IPROBAGLE

A statement with regard to the cases of influenza that have been rcpurted in tho Dominion lately was luado by tho Actinc-Chief Health Officer (Dr. R. 11. .Makgill) yesterday.

"The Department has been watching, closely the development of influenza in Auckland and Wellington provinces," saio: Dr. Makgill. "During tho last three weeks the disease has shown a slight teudency to revive. At no tirno has it, taken on tho form of a general cmdemic. but in certain areas an increase in x catarrhal diseases, due doubtless to weather conditions, has been shown. It is quito probable that about this time every year the same tiling happens, but hitherto neither influenza nor uneumonia has been notifiable, so we cannot compare the figures with previous years.

"The heaviest return for one week throughout the whole Dominion has been 220 cases. That number is, of course, distributed, and does I not call for any alarm. With the increase of influenza there has been a co-incident increase in rmeumonia. i This is invariably the case in all countries in the world, and means, reallv. that the causes that tend to increase one typo of catarrhal disease tend also to increase others. Tho daily record of the last few days shows that in all oarts of tho Dominion influoirai is decreasing again, and I have no reason for fearinir that an epidemic is pending. At the end of August a similar increase in influenza and pneumonia occurred, but after three weeks itdiedo'own again, iust as it is doing now.

"Illustrating how little in the way of an epidemic there is, I may mention that in the whole of the ■Wellington public health district, iiicludiiiyf Hawke's Bay, Nelson, and Taranaki, for the twenty-four hours ended noon to-day, there were hut seven eases of influenza, notified. The proportion of cases of a severe type does not appear to be increasing! in fact, in Auckland nnd tlio Waikato the returns liavo shown that practically all tho cases are of tlio miltfest description, so mild, indeed, that the inspectors informed me' that on visiting tho houses they invariably found that the peoplo themselves did not regard tho trouble as other than just ati ordinary cold. Of course, it is difficult to draw a' hnrd-ano'-fast lino between a feverish cold and an attack of influenza,' and in dealing with returns notified as influenza mm has to make allowance for this difficulty. Therefore, the actual figures on the "notification list may he somewhat misleading, but the important thins is to keen a check on influenzal conditions which show a marked tendency to pneumonic comnlications; these, fortunately, are not common. Personally, I think that it is improbable that we shall ever acuin bo visited with such an epidemic as we had last year, as the conoitions leadincr np to that, epidemic were most exoeutional. Doubtless, wo shall have epidemics of influenza again, but they will bo probably of a mild typo."

CASES REPORTED I.N AUCKLAND. By TeleuriVDh—Presn Association. Auckland, December 4. Twelve cases of influenza were notified in the Auckland health district during tlie twenty-four hours ende<l at noon to-day, six being in the city and six in the country. There was only one severe case. There were also three cases of pneumonia, two being reported from tho country.