SECOND DEATH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26638, 8 December 1947, Page 4

SECOND DEATH

ADULT VICTIM FIVE MORE CASES AUCKLAND DISTRICT P.A. AUCKLAND, Dec. 7. The second death from poliomyelitis since the first cases were admitted to the Auckland Hospital less than a fortnight ago occurred in the hospital this morning. The victim was a woman from the city, aged 31, who was admitted late last week. No additional positive cases were admitted to the hospital during the week-endj but some of the formerly suspected cases were reclassified as positive, making the numbers to-night 32 positive cases and 12 suspected cases. On Friday there were 25 positive cases and 22 suspected cases in the hospital. The admissions during the week-end were five suspected cases. Three were adults and the other two were children. The medical officer of health at Auckland, Dr L. S. Davis, said to-night that the woman who died was a bad case in which the respiratory muscles were paralysed. The victim who died in the Auckland Hospital on November 28—a man, aged 27—was also a respiratory case. That was a very rare form of poliomyelitis, Dr Davis said. He added that a Maori boy, aged 16. from the Katikate district, had been admitted to the Tauranga Hospital and was a suspected case. That was the second case from the Thames-Tauranga health district, the other being a boy aged 13, who was admitted to the Thames Hospital on Friday as a suspected case.