TUBERCULOSIS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 248, 17 September 1940, Page 6

TUBERCULOSIS

Feoh the beginning of next month all forms of tubercular disease will come within the list of notifiable infectious diseases. In the past cases of pulmonary tuberculosis only have had to be notified, a practice which was commenced at the beginning of this century. There was a time when the Dominion had a very serious death rate from tuberculosis. In 1872 it was as high as 12.66 per 10,000. But largely due to the campaign waged against this enemy of health there has been a vast improvement. In 1935 the death rate was 3.88, but in the following year it rose to 4.56. It was then observed by the Director-General of Health that the available facts did not .provide an explanation of this rise, and the same phenomenon had been reported in the United States. Since then work has been actively continued on the lines outlined in the report of that year, with the result that a fall to 3.91 was recorded in 1937 and 3.93 for 1938. The Director-Gen-eral observed in the report for the year ended March 31, 1939, that the ravages of tuberculosis, particularly among young adults, were still a matter for grave concern, and steps -were being taken to organise more systematic and comprehensive methods in follow up and prevention work. The Committee of the Medical Research Council would undertake a statistical survey of the incidence of tuberculosis in this country. Our good position in this matter when compared with that of other countries does not,mean that war will not be waged relentlessly to make the Dominion as free as it possibly can be of this disease, and no doubt' the latest decision which should not cause alarm is part of the campaign. The Direc-tor-General is of the opinion that the notification of all cases will allow of a more thorough investigation, with the discovery and treatment of many unrecognised pulmonary cases responsible for non-pulmonarv cases. Whatever help can be given by the general public towards the success of the campaign should be freely offered.