SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 98, 29 August 1913, Page 8

SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC.

TEX CASES IX SYDNEY. I [By Electric Telegraph—Copyright] LUnited Press Association.] Sydney, August 28, Ton smallpox cases were reported to-day. POSITION IN THE NORTH. AN M.P.'s REPORT. [Per * Press Association . J Auckland, August 27. Mr Peed, M.P., in the course of .in interview said that after a special I visit to his elect orate (Pay of Islands) he felt safe in stating that there ] were over 2000 cases of the dangerous disease which was raging among the northern Maoris. The hospital at ivaikohe contained 50 patients, but there were hundreds of cases still outI side. One very unfortunate feature I oi the campaign against the disease—(and local doctors were working very | hard—-was the failure of the lymph to i act as effectively as was expected. ()i.e I doctor told him that the record of ' successful vaccinations was under 20 ' per cent. The developments up nortn showed that there was immunity from I disease in vaccinated people. Both doci airs and" nurses were having a hard | time. > j FAILURE OF THE LYMPH. j THE DEPARTMENT AT WORK. The Chief Health Officer replied to jMr Reed's statements. "The cases | .-eported by Mr Reed," he said, "do .iot tally with the notifications received by the Department, thought it : s ! quite possible that a large batch of j notifications may come to hand at any i moment" The most serious statei ment which Mr Reed has made, said iDr. Valintine, was about the failure I of the lymph upon which the Department was principally relying to prevent :he spread of the disease. 'lt means," ie added, "that districts already done will have to bo gone through again, mid to that end I have wired to Dr. Dhamptaloup, of Dunedin, for six active junior medical men or fifth year medical students to repatrol the districts in the north. These officers will [be stationed at certain strategic points and will keep i n communication with | one another." i , MR REED'S MODIFICATION. . h Wellington,, August 28., The attention of 'the,. Minister for Public Health.has been, drawn to the publication in Sydney of a statement alleged to have been made by Mr Voiron Reed, M.P., to the diet that a good many Maoris are at the present time suffering from smallpox. On being approached, Mr Reed informed the Minister what ho had intended to convoy was ,that a good (many Maoris had contracted the djsease shxo its first appearance in New Zealand. At the present time he roughly estimated that some,3oo were suffering f.rom the epidemic. FURTHER AUCKLAND Ci» SES. i . Auckland, lugH3t £B, Three additional cases of s allpo;; were discovered in the c'ty to-day, while late in the afternoon a oa*«i w.is reported from Orakei. The thieei city cases were all European i. ; >os, and were found respectively m Upper 0 1ieen Street (a contact fi.nn the case discovered on Tuesday), in Turner street, and in. the vicinity of tin's street. The Orakei case is that of a native woman, who will be brought up ro the isolation hospital as soon as possible. One of the case*' found In !lie city was that of a man who arrived in Auckland from the Thames en board the Northern Company's Waitahi on Wednesday, but who •"id not come under the notice of the Health Officer until yesterday.