SMALLPOX

Southland Times, Issue 18833, 28 May 1920, Page 4

SMALLPOX

DISEASE STILL SPREADING. DEFINITE CASE IN DUNEDIN. The smallpox epidemic still continues to make headway and another case wa* reported yesterday, the patient being immediately removed to the Isolation Hospital at Kew. Mr T. Pryde, Secretary of the H. & C.A. Board, received the following wire from Dr McKibbin, Health Officer, Dunedin: Definite case of smallpox in isolation in Dunedin Hospital. . . . The face will be closely pitted, secondary fever, palms, soles and pressure points deeply involved. Severely ill. Advice to the effect that chicken pox had, in view of the epidemic, been declared a dangerous infectious disease was also received. Dr McKibbin further stated that he had advised the Southland Branch of the British Medical Association urging the necessity of vaccination, and strict precautions with regard to isolation of suspects. Dr Ritchie, assistant Health Officer, will arrive to take charge the Invercargill office on account of His appointment here will be only temporary. In conversation the Government vaccinator, Dr McCaw, informed a reporter that, now a definite case of smallpox had been reported from Dunedin, more people should avail themselves of vaccination as a preventive of the disease. He had been operating upon a fair number, but would like to “sc more coming forward. All the case# for vaccination were taking well, and the lymph supplied was of good quality. Those who suffered most from the effects of the lymph were those who had never been vaccinated before, while those who had been operated upon, in childhood and who showed good vaccination marks were taking slightly, but not so positively as those who were being done for the first time. The incubation period of the disease was about twelve days and that of vaccination three or four, so that even if a person, who had been a contact for three days, were vaccinated the result of the vaccination would beat the incubation of the disease and probably ward off an attack. The other doctors had done a fair amount of vaccination, concluded Dr McCaw, but nothing like the numbers the profession would like to see coming forward.