NOW 725 POSITIVE PARALYSIS CASES

Grey River Argus, 2 September 1948, Page 4

NOW 725 POSITIVE PARALYSIS CASES

WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. Since the first case of poliomyelitis was reported at the 'end of November, there has been'a Dominion total of 745 positive cases/’ of which the Auckland health district had 223 and Wellington 122. There were 77 cases last month, of which Wellington had 31. The total deaths from the epidemic have been 39, of which Wellington had one. Three fresh cases were reported in the Wellington district to-day a boy and a girl, each aged two, from Lower Hutt, and a boy aged eight from the city.

Minister Praises Kenny Treatment

WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. The fact that Sister Kenny's treatment for poliomyelitis had been introduced in New Zealand during her occupancy of the Health portfolio had given her particular gratification, said the Minister of Health, Miss Mabel How’ard, at to-day’s annua 1 conference of the New Zealand Crippled Children’s Society in Wellington. Two Kenny women technicians who had been working at the Auckland Hospital, had left last week on their return to the United States. However, an Australian male technician was still at the Waikato Ho :- pital, Hamilton, and it was hoped to make use of him later as a teacher of the Kenny method. All three, the Minister added, had met with the greatest assistance from the medical profession, and for that she expressed gratitude. “It was not always so”, she said Dr Walter Robertson, who had beeA sent abroad to study the method, was able to give the Kenny treatment with what facilities were at his disposal. Miss Kenny, added the Minister, had informed her of her intention to retire next year.

New Zealand’s Crippled Children

WELLINGTON, September 1. When the New Zealand Crippled Children Society was, incorporated m the total number of cases registered in the Dominion was 140'J. For the year ended March 31 last, the registrations totalled 5220. These figures were -quoted at the annual conference to-day by the chairman of the executive council Mr G. K. Hansard. Since the society’s inception, 647 males and 524 females have been classified as cured. The Minister of Health, Miss Howard, when opening the , conference, outlined proposals for the conversion of the services hospital in Rotorua into a unit for the treatment of all types of crippling diseases, and remarked: “I want to get this work started. The elections come round every three years, and I don’t just know how long my tenure of office will be”. Therefore she believed in making a start without a delay on the projects in which she was particularly interested. “Every paralysed child in New Zealand must be given.a chance, and it is our job to see that that opportunity is provided”, she said. “Any healing method that can be introduced from abroad must be introduced here for the benefit of our people”