ILLNESS AT TRENTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 August 1916, Page 6

ILLNESS AT TRENTHAM.

DRASTIC PRECAUTIONS.

(From Our Own Correspondent)

Wellington, August 15. Tlic occurrence of two additional oases ol cerebrospinal ,meningitis at Trentham Cam]) on Monday, one case being .almost immediately fatal, has strength- ! cued tbo determination of the defence authorities to take drastics precautions. A very thorough fumigation and examination of ell possible danger points is being undertaken, and in the meantime the number of men in the camp has been reduced to something in the neighborhood of 2000. The authorities do not regard the position as alarming in any sense, but after their experience of last year they are particularly concerned about discovering the source ol the meningitis before the trouble spreads further. The fatal ease took a very severe form. Two cases of diphtheria are also reported, one fatal, and it was Himounced to-day that one of the pneumonia. patients in the Trentham hospital bad succumbc-d. Three deaths within forty-eight hours make a rather alarming tale 511 the face of it, but a visit to the camp is reassuring. Trentham Camp to-day is 'sunny, dry and cheerful, in spite of its comparatively deserted appearance, and the men remaining there are by no means alarmed about the position. The long spell 3t wet, ej>ld weather has been trying to everybody in the camp, and presumably it must be blamed for the increased amount of sickness. But the weather appears to bave cleared ' now, ind the streets of the camp were dry ■Then the soldiers carried their beds in-t-.i the sunshine this morning. Speaking to a reporter, Genera! Henderson, the Director of Medical Services, said be "hoped there would be no unnecessary anxiety about the situation. The recurrence of ccrcbro-spinal meningitis wai a serious matter, of course, and the officers of his department were regarding it in that light. They were sparing no effort, in co-operation with the Public Health Department, to isolate all cases and discover the source of the trouble. But the outbreak bad not assumed the proportions of cm epidemic, and there was 110 reason to believe that it would be. The worst part of the winter probably was now over, and with better weather the health of the troops ivould improve rapidly. The ligires be had already made public showed that the amount of serious illness in the camps had been very small at any time.