100 CASES IN DUNEDIN

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 327, 7 January 1937, Page 6

100 CASES IN DUNEDIN

INFANTILE PARALYSIS. FEW ELSEWHERE. Review Of National Position To Date. Press Association—Copyright. Dunedin, Last Night. Only two fresh cases of infantile paralysis were admitted to the Dunedin hospital to-day. These patients, who were both slightly paralysed, were girls aged six and 15 respectively and came from the Dunedin district. The district medical officer, Dr. T. McKibbin, stated, to-night that although over 100 cases have been admitted to the Dunedin hospital since the outbreak of the epidemic only about 30 of these had shown positive signs of infection, seven of this number being heavily paralysed while the remainder were suffering from lighter degrees of paralysis. Approximately 60 of the total admissions had been for the purpose of isolation and observation and when the requisite period had expired ‘without the development of any positive indications of infection they would be discharged. Two suspected cases of infantile paralysis have been admitted to the Oarnaru hospital. One, a girl aged two from Waiareka, who was admitted for another complaint, is a doubtful case. The other, a girl aged two, from Kakanui, is also only a suspect. Few Cases Elsewhere. Two'Children were in the Waimate hospital, one from Morven and the other from Waiho Forks. One child was sent back to Dunedin from Timaru and there were two positive cases in the Timaru hospital, one being a suspected case of a girl aged eight years, now diagnosed as positive.

Two suspects J were admitted to the Oamaru hospital, one of which is considered negative and the other not yet diagnosed. A suspected case of infantile paralysis has been admitted to the Gore hospital for observation. The patient is a boy <ged four years from the Wendbnside district. The small girl who was admitted to the Auckland hospital last week is still the only case of infantile paralysis at Auckland. Christchurch remains free from infantile paralysis. " There are still four cases in South Canterbury but as the infection in that area is of a mild type no general quarantine restrictions have been placed on (he district.