INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 310, 16 December 1936, Page 4

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

HEALTH CAMP CLOSED. Five Stratford Children Miss Trip To Otaki. Although the school problem is solved in the meantime by the commencement of the summer holidays, the necessary precautions against infantile paralysis being taken at Stratford will upset a number of previously arranged activities. The most serious repercussion in this district so far .is the closing of the Health Camp at Otaki. Five Stratford children, suffering from malnutrition, had been selected to be sent to the camp for a six weeks’ period from December 21. The Stratford committee has now received advice that no more children are to be taken into the camp until the authorities are quite confident that the danger of infantile paralysis spreading is over.

Most of the Sunday-schools in the district ended the year last Sunday, but the Methodist School was to have held its last class next Sunday. This, it is understood, will be postponed, as will be the annual function arranged by the church for parents and children, which was to have been held next Sunday afternoon. The proceeds from this function are devoted to the orphanage work Of the Methodist Church. All Stratford schols are now closed and will not re-open until all danger is passed. The last to break up was St. Mary’s School, which held a small private function this morning, after which the girls left for their homes. Further Cases. Five more cases of infantile paralysis were admitted to the Dunedin Elospital 4 last evening, according to a Press Association message received to-day. Three are showing definite paralysis, while the other two are being kept under observation. This brings the total cases since the outbreak of the epidemic to 22. A nine-year-old girl was admitted to the Wellington Hospital to-day as a suspected case, but no definite diagnosis has yet been made.