SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3979, 12 July 1915, Page 6

SICKNESS AT TRENTHAM.

INVESTIGATIONS PROCEEDING. $ NO DEFINITE DIAGNOSIS. DENGUE FEVER. SUGGESTED. (By Telegraph—Speoial Correspondent.) ' WELLINGTON, July 9. Rumors —most of thorn absurdity extravagant—wore in circulation to-day concerning the causes of the sudden decision of the Government to move tne men from Trentham camp—a decision acted upon with remarkable promptitude. It was reported that soino very malignant disease, had developed and various maladies were mentioned, all very serious. No official diagnosis of the somewhat mysterious disease which, along with measles, has placed so many soldiers at the camp out of action has yet been announced.

In the opinion of an authority who has had some experience of tropical diseases, the symptoms resembled those of dengue fever. The probabilities in favor of this theory are considerable. It is, indeed, not at all improbable that the sickness has been imported from Samoa. Tho Minister for . Public Health stated to-night that tho nature of the sickness was still being investigated. Mr G. A. Hurley (Government Bacteriologist) was working on it and also Dr Champtaloup (Professor of Public Health in Otago Medical School and Government Becteriologist in 'Dunedin). “We are determined, ” said Mr Rhodes, “to discover the cause of the nature of the epidemic, if it is' possible to do so. The illness supposed to he influenza has, developed into a very virulent-form. The measles have also been of a malignant type. The combination of the two has been very difficult to deal with. It lias happened that men have had influenza after an attack of measles, also a number have contracted pneumonia.’' Until tho investigations arc complete, it is deemed advisable to quarantine the camp. This does not mean that the men will not be allowed to move to the other camps to be established in other places. Some thousands of them have, in fact, already left. As regards the sick men, they wild he moved as soon as the doctors consider them fit to leave the hospitals without fear of conveying infection to any other part of the Dominion.

Mr Rhodes stated that it had been reported to him that there was typhoid at the camp, and ho did not believe that tho disease was typhoid. The doctors had not reported any eases of diphtheria, and no deaths had been reported to-day. Two troopers — Privates A. Clarke (Wellington), and E. Smith (Christchurch) —died at the Trentham Hospital yesterday (Thursday) from complications following on an* attack of measles.