PNEUMONIC INFLUENZA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1933, 30 January 1919, Page 1

PNEUMONIC INFLUENZA.

SAN FRANCISCO OUTBREAK. RECURRENCE OF THE DISEASE. The officers of the Moana, which arrived at Wellington on Wednesday of last week from San Francisco, state that when the vessel arrived at the Californian port there had been an almost complete abatement of the influenza, epidemic. During the vessel’s six days’ slay at that port, however, there was a fresh, outbreak, and many new eases were reported. The compulsory wearing of masks in the streets had been discontinued when the Moana was there, and business was back to normal. Every effort was being made to suppress the new outbreak. When the Moana was en route to San Francisco she called at Papeete. The epidemic had been raging at the Tahitian port for 10 days, during which GOO deaths had occurred there. On the return trip the epidemic was found to have abated, but a few sporadic cases were being treated. SPREAD OF THE EPIDEMIC. AN AMERICAN THEORY. In 1 lie latter part of 1010 the pneumonic-influenza first appeared in Harbin, a town in Manchuria, under Chinese control, says the New York World. Harbin is on the Trans-Siberian railroad, and was the original hotbed of disease. It was believed that influenza was carried into Harbin by the furdealers, and by Chinese labourers returning to their homes to celebrate New Affair’s Day, a custom universally observed in China. From Harbin the disease rapidly spread in all directions, usually following the lines of traffic along the railroads. By January 24th. 1011, a total of 1,500 Chinese and 27 Europeans, two of whom were physicians and one an assistant, had died, and nearly every case proved fatal.

Wherever the Chinese coolies from (he north have travelled they have carried this disease. From 1910 up to 1917 China has not been free from it.

In the early part of 1917 about 200,000 Chinese coolies, collected from (he northern part of China, whore pneumonic-influenza lias raged at intervals since 191.0, were sent to France as labourers. They made splendid labourers in France, and were in back of the lines during the German advance of March, 1918. No doubt many of them were caphired by the Germans at that time. Hence the outbreak of the disease in the German Army. The disease first broke out last .spring in the German Army, where it is said to have been very serious. We next heard of it in Spain, hence the name Spanish inlluenza. The name is really a misnomer, but it has stuck, probably because it is the first epidemic of influenza Spain has ever laid.