INFECTIOUS DISEASES
INFLUENZA STILL ABOUT
SIX PNEUMONIC CASES REPORTED
POSITION CONSIDERED SATISFACTORY
During the week ended January 5, 63 cases of infectious disease occurred in the Wellington public health district, as compared with 65 during tho previous week. These figures show a considerable reduction on the returns published from week to week at the end. of last year. Twenty-one cases of iniluenza were renorted in the district last week, including six pneumonic oases. Two cases of pneumonic influenza and one case of lethargic encephalitis were notified from Wellington city There were also 11 cases, of pneumonia and 23 of diuhtheria. Details of the various diseases notified are ns follow, the figures for the previous week also being ehown-.— PreLast vious ' Week. Week. Influenza 21 18 Pneumonia 11 12 Scarlet fever 3 2 Dinhtheria 23 25 Tuberculosis 1 0 C.S.M 1 0 Peurneral septicaemia .... 1 0 Hvdatids 0 1 OpUialmift 1 .1 Enteric fever 0 1 Lethargic encephalitis ■ 1 0 Measles 0 5
Totals 63 65 The hospital districts from which the various cases were reported wero as follow:— vTau'oa Pneumonia, 1. Waipawa: Tuberculosis, 1; puerperal septicaemia, !• influenza, 6; ophthalmia, 1. Tarnnaki: Diohtheria. 2. Stratford: Diphtheria, 2; influenza, 2. Hawrea: Diphtheria. 5: influenza, 4; pneumonia, 4. Wanganui: Diphtheria, 2; iniluenza, 2; nnciimonia. 3. Palmerston North: DiDhtheria. 4; influenza, 1; pneumonia, 2. Wellington: Scarlet fever, 3; diphtheria. 7; cerebrospinal meningitis, 1; influenza. 5; pneumonia, 1; lethargic oncenhalitis. 1 Wairarapa,: Diphtheria, 1: influenza, 1. Tho places from which influenza was notified were:—Dannevirke: 5 mild; 1 pneumonic. Stratford: 2 mild. Hawera: 2 mild. Kaponga: 1 severe; 1 nneumonic. Ohakune: 1 pneumonic. Hunterville: 1 pneumonic. Palmerston North: 1 mild. Wellington City: 3 mild; 2 pneumonic. Masterton: 1 mild.
Diminution in Cases, In conversation with a Dominion renortcr yesterday, Dr. R. H. Mnkgill (Acting-Chief Health Officer) stated that the Dominion returns for the past fortniiht showed a very large, diminution in the number of. cases of influenza and nneiunonia. For example, during the week ending December 22, 215 cases of influenza, wove notified thro'ughout the Dominion, whereas in the week ending January 5 there were but 107 notifications. Similarly, as regards pneumonia, -13 cases were notified in the week ending December 22, and 25 cases in the week ending January 5. The chief diminution in influenza was in Auckland, where flic number of cases in tlio week ending December 22 was 224, whilo only 78 cases were reported in the week ending .Tanuarv 5. In Canterbury there had been a marked decrease also During the week ending DecemVr 22, 20 eases of influenza and 10 cases of pneumonia were notified, and only fiye of influenza and five of pneumonia during the week enuing January 5. In yesterday's Dominion there was published the following extract from the Christchurch "Sun" :-'TnQiinionic cases containing the same clinical features as those of the influenza epidemic period nve being received at tho Christchurch Hosnital. In making this statement to a. 'Sun' representative, Dr. Fox, superintendent of the Christchurch Hospital, deniod a renort that there were a large number of cases of pneumonia at present. The number of pneumonic patients at tho hospital was not nearly as great as was the case six or eight weeks a«o. Whilst, as stated, the type of nneumonia had the same features ns during tho influenza epidemic, it was not so severe, for this reason the death rate was not large, and there had been few deaths at the Christchurch Hospital.
No Nejd for Alarm. ' Referring to this paragraph, Dr. Makeill said it was evident that the medical' sunerintendent at Christchureh iclt there was no need for alarm in the number of unenmonia eases, as ho had pointed out that the total had diininisned ereatlv during the past sis or eight weeks Dr. Pox had also emphasised that the type of pneumonia was less severe than was the case during the epidemic. ''Every year for a .long time a number of pneumonia cases lolloping influenza had arisen," said Dr. Makgill, "and Hie existence of such cases is of. very little significance indeed. There is every reason to be satisfied with the present uosition. and there is nothing to sucost nnv alarm whatsoever. I view with considerable doubt the statement that there is anything peculiar about the Dneumonie cases at present being received in the Christchurch Hospital, or elsewhere. The clinical features winch were seen durinc the epidemic .were by no means confined to that epidemic; they are commonly met with in types of pneumonia. The most typical tlunj about them was the fact that they occurred, in enideinic form. It is incorrect to supine that a new typo of pneumonia was introduced during the epidemic of 1318, hflvim? sneeial clinical features, diflerenl from any other type of pneumonia.
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 87, 7 January 1920, Page 8
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792INFECTIOUS DISEASES Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 87, 7 January 1920, Page 8
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