INFLUENZA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1961, 5 April 1919, Page 3

INFLUENZA.

AFTER-EFFECTS ON CHILDREN. SCHOOLMASTER’S OBSERVATIONS. The many ways in which influenza has affected some adults who contracted the disease last year have been too often tragically demonstrated to need elaboration, says an Auckland Herald correspondent. Every now and then the papers record accidents and fatalities, the basic cause of which is attributed to the after-effects of the epidemic of last November. Altho-i ugh children were not so severely or so often attacked as adults, many thousands of them suffered from I lie disease, and even the lighter attacks paved the way for such ailments as pleurisy, congestion of the lungs, throat trouble, and nervous affectL ons. That the influenza lias left its mark upon the children observant teachers at some 1 of the State schools have already noticed. The headmaster of a large city State school said that the signs were there if they were not always quite apparent, and lie thought (hat teachers should he made aware ut: the t act, ami should make allowances.

One of the commonest results of inllucmta on children is I lie effect if has oa their nervous system, manifested . chiefly in a proneness li« tears, Children whom he had never known to cry at school previously burst out most unexpeetedly for little or no cause. lie did not think it, was an excess of sensitiveness, hut; /simply a nervous weakness, which, robbed them of complete control over themselves. Allowances should he made for such Jit tic shorlcom-, ings. indeed, it was the teacher's duly to look for such weaknesses, and do limit; very host to encourage (he children hack to normality. They should remember, too, (hat the children were away from school for over throe months owing to (he epidemic, and it child could forget a great deal in (hat lime.