INFLUENZA IN EUROPE.

Shannon News, 4 February 1927, Page 2

INFLUENZA IN EUROPE.

PRECAUTIONS IN DOMINION. It is gratifying to hear from the Minister of Health (Hon J. A. Young) that the Department is fully alive to the necessity of using the most rigorous steps to prevent the spread of influenza in the Dominion. The Minister assures us that “the Department and the public are better organised to-day than at any time before to deal with influenza, should we be so unfortunate as to suffer from this disease. ” Mr. Young declares that the position of New Zealand to-day is fairly satisfactory, but, cautious man as he is known to be, the Minister adds: “The reported words of .several prominent public citizens in Wellington to the effect that Government medical officers had stated that influenza would not come to New Zealand could not be justified, as no responsible officer of the Health Department had at any time made such a statement. ” It is quite obvious from the tone of the Minister’s statement that he and the Department are fully alive to the gravity of the situation, and it is pleasing to know that should the Dominion be visited by the scourge, as there seems every possibility, it will not find us unprepared. With the sad experience of November, 1918, as a practical guide, it will be remembered to what source the invasion of that epidemic was allegedly traced and the Department will doubtless take the most rigorous precautions in the case .of vessels arriving from overseas. This is a matter that concerns every local body in the country. There is nothing like being in readiness for an emergency, and the suggestion that a cleanup week be instituted throughout the Dominion appears to be a good one that might well be put into effect. Every city and town might well have such a clean-up, during which there should be a thorough cleansing, together with a wholesale buring of accumulated rubbish and filth. In conjunction with this a vigorous anti-rat campaign should be instituted. If this were done it would undoubtedly have a good effect and reassure many people. In view of the early visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, there will be large gatherings of people in the cities which makes it all the more necessary to take precautions, and the clean-up would certainly help to ward off the dread disease. We do not believe in raising “scares,” but we do believe that no stone should be left unturned to prevent influenza from gaining a hold in the Dominion. Advice received from Europe shows that influenza is taking a heavy toll in the country, where there has been an increase in the deaths. In 105 great towns, including London, the deaths'totalled 326 for the week ending January 15th. The deaths in the county of London totalled 1399, and in Greater London 233. The havoc in Spain is reported to be heavier than in 1918, and other countries have suffered fearful losses. It is believed by many eminent people that the germs of influenza are air-born —(this seems a .reasonable theory, seeing that the disease appears in isolated islands but sel-

dom visited by vessels of any kind — and therefore it follows that recurrence of the disease is probable in New Zealand. Everything possible should be done to safeguard the community from a probable contingency of a serious character. Therefore it is hoped that the excellent suggestion of the institution of a clean-up week throughout the Dominion should be put into operation without delay. It would do mueh good in many ways, apart from the value it should be in helping to check the possible dissemination of the dread influenza microbes.