DENGUE FEVER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 791, 6 April 1905, Page 2

DENGUE FEVER.

a INTERVIEW WITH Ml. VALIN- in TINE. t (rer Tress Association.) L WELLINGTON, Apr!,' T>r. Valintino, interviewer! with 10fcrence to tho dengue fever in |Quecnsland, said tho disease was not a'dangerous one, and its period of incubaition was very short, ' about three dnyv, or four «t the Thus it Would Ix* quite eusy to detect tii:■case if anyone wifTerintg .from it arrived in New Zealand | from Australia., Apart from this aspect was Uie fact that dengue (or dandy), fever was a tropical or mij*- * tropical disease that generally attained its maximum In the hottest 8 seasons, and this characteristic made it extremely unlikely that thedi»- 8 case would reach our low latitude. t Some years ago cases in Now Zieal J land wore diagonosed as dengue iever„ but investigation proved thorn i to bo only aggravated forms of in- j fluenza. Speaking of the 'disease in a general sense. Dr. Vrilintide «aid it was not contagious, and it did not leave the depressing effects thuti ordinary influenza did. The mortality from dengue was very small, and was confined to debilitated people, infants, and tho aged. To detect Its approach wa# practically impossible ; its onset was insidious, and there waa nothing characteristic about it. Precautions against it coultl be no more taken than in tha ( case of j influenza. Dr. Valintino { quoted from an eminent medical observer who had studied the disease amongst the natives of Calcutta. Jin that, city whole districts were affected by tho diseuse, and only very ' l>crsona among hundrods cscap- J cd< To go into a district where dooguo was prevalent was to seo a I | colony of cripples; almost every , person one mot hobbled painfully, and got about with tho greatest difficulty, ilio period of alMction, ■ however, was only a few days. There i appears to bo little if any risk of | dengue being brought to liew Zealand waters, and if it does arrive tho health officers' Inspection of steamers will assuredly locate the ii il^ Se ;J' nd J" 8 " 11 in the sulterera Jjeing detained !n quarantine. Apart jfrom this no precautions against irSr'L™? '? takcn b * thp Health Department. It would, says I)r. V.|lntine, be just as reasonable to en<Su«£ ,lUun,nllot