WINTER MAY STOP EPIDEMIC

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 79, 20 April 1937, Page 4

WINTER MAY STOP EPIDEMIC

-Press Association.)

Infaritile Paralysis a Warm Weather Disease ADVICE TO PARENTS

(By Telegrapb

PALMERSTON N., This Day. In an interview with the Manawatu Evening Standard with reference to the infantile paralysis epidemic, Dr. ; Watt, Direetor-General of Health, stated that the position in Palmerston North was not regarded as serious but co-operation by parents in keeping children away from congregations of persons is desired by the department. Fortunately, the paralysis is of a eomparatively mild type, said Dr. Watt, referring to the general situation. Of the total number of cases notified a certain number were suspects only and subsequent investigation has ruled out the diagnosis of poliomiplitis or infantile paralysis, while of the true cases a very considerable proportion had no paralysis whatever. Only a relatively small proportion were paralytio. "The public, perhaps, fail to realise that infantile paralysis ia a disease which is never entirely absent from New Zealand. Cases are reported at regular intervals when th© conflition most favourable for epidemica occurs. The present epidemic is not to he com* pared in severity with those of 1915-16 and 1925-26. As infantile paralysis is almost invariably a disease of warm weather it is anticipated thdt, with the coming of the ^older weather it will subside. It is likely, however, that sporadic cases will continue to be reported for some time. "The action which has been taken is based upon the fact that children are the most susceptible age-group and the disease is spread bv personal .contact. Parents can safeguard their children to a large extent by keeping them away from public gatherings and by not allowing them to visit homes in which. there is sicKness. They may also take precautions In that if any member of the household becomes sick they treat that member as having an infectious disease and isolate him or her from the other members of the family until the nature of the complaint has been established by medical advice."