THE WHITE PLAGUE

Hokitika Guardian, 24 October 1923, Page 4

THE WHITE PLAGUE

ODEN-AIR lU)MF. I'Oli 'I 1! EAT.MEN T UK ( II! 1.1)1! EX. CHUIKTCMtTK H. (tit. 21. For litany years the Xew Zi aland rate oi mortalitv from tuberculosis has Let'll going steadily down as tlie public i as eoiue to uiulersiaud the di-ea. e and tlie best means of avoiding it. A liirili.O' stage in the campaign agiusL T.B. has been ivarhed hy the open-air home mi Cashmere Hills, Chri-lehiiii.li, for eliiidren threatened with the disease. The ofiieia! opeatng eerinmiy was perlormed this alteriiM.Mt hy Mr 11. .1. Ofle.v. eliainiiaii i f the Xi.rlh Caiwo'.'burv 110.-iiital Board. FILLING l'l ! XI.READY. Children were first, received imo lin; home this. week, etui as there are nior than 2!) of them in lv-idmn e already 't seem- likely that the home will lave In I ■ enlarged before long. M’hai the home is intended to do was explained very well by Hr (I. J. Bia< kmore. s;, pi 'ii 11 1 i'lii lie 11 1 oi the board's tubereu-le.-is in; I it lltions, who said that in lie si case the consumption which .-hews itself in adult life is duo to an infect mu received in childhood. STEPS TOWARDS PR EVENT!ON. No real progress will b" niafie in the campaign against tuberculosis until effort.- are directed to prevent this infection in childhood, or to overeuine it before it has done harm. The I're-h air home is designed to deal with children wlio have actually c.iiiie in eoutaei with the disease. There arc at the present time in 11 1 > v sanatorium anil Coiiitmtion Ho-piial -12 ]iatienl- who have a total of 70 children under I ! years of ago. For the most part, these children are having nothing done for tlimn to prevent them from developing the disease from which their parents are -nfi'ering. Tltose figures relate only to the children of parents w ho are aelually uiuloi' treatment, and take no aecmint ol the hundreds of children whose parent- have been treated in past years.