King Country Chronicle Saturday, August 2nd, 1913 THE SMALL POX OUTBREAK.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 590, 2 August 1913, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, August 2nd, 1913 THE SMALL POX OUTBREAK.

The news to hand to-day concerning the epidemic is not at all reassuring, and the public should give the closes possible attention to the warnings issued by the Health authorities. The check given t3 the disease by the general adoption of vaccination in affected districts has doubtless led people into a feeling of false security, and the attempts made to show that the disease was not true small pox has probably added to that feeling. The official bulletin published to-day states that the cases now being reported are showing the regular symptoms of small pox, and here tis no doubt the disease is spreading among the Europeans. The manner in which infection can be carried is indicated by the fact that a case is reported at Te Mapara, the disease having' evidently been contracted in Waikato, where the patient has been visiting. Furthermore, it should be remembered that small pox is an air borne disease, and the fact of it being spread over such a wide area lendß strength to the assumption that few districts in the North Island are likely to escape [a visitation. It should be unnecessary to exhort the people to take every possible precaution to stamp out the epidemic. Only by exercising rigorous supervision in sanitary matters, and by adopting the recommendation of the authorities with respect to vaccination can we hope to combat tne spread of the epidemic. Despite the objections to vaccinaton it is a striking fact that in no case where vaccination has taken place has the disease been contracted. The strictest cleanliness and vaccination are the only means by which the outbreak can be fought, and by adopting these precautions the people will be doing their duty to themselves and to the rest of the community.