INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1918, Page 6

INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

INFLUENZA IN .THE ISLANDS, ■ HEAVY MORTALITY. Bjr Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Dec. 28. Details ox the influenza' outbreak at Tonga show that on Nukualofa 400 deaths of natives and eight of whites occurred. About 10 per cent of the population died, the victims including tiie Dowager Queen. ,

All trade was brought to a stand still and communication with the other islands of the group was cut off. The onlv doctor in the group left for Fiji • lew day 3 before the outbreak, and a shortage of drugs greatly increased the difficulty of fighting the "epidemic. Help arrived from Fiji on December 5, and the epidemic was then clicked notb in tlio port and the sountry districts

In the Fiji group tho death roll is estimated at over 1000, while of Suva's 6000 inhabitants 4000 were stricken. The outbreak began with the arrival of the Talune on November 16 afiJ spread like wildfire throughout the group. Thirty or forty deaths occurred every day The natives absolutely refused to assist in lighting the epidemic or attending the sick or convalescents, even refusing to bury their own dead.

On December 9, when the mail left, the epidemic was checked in Suva, but was only starting in the out districts, whence appeals for help were coining in all round. It was feared that in these districts, beyond the pale of civilisation, the death rate would be very heavv.

Suva cablets state that Suva is now practically clean, there being no fresh asets. In the country districts the epidemio is diminishing rapidly The total European deaths is 68.

FURTHER OUTBREAK AT WAITARA.

IMPORTED FROM OPUNAKE. Our Waitara correspondent, writing on Saturday, stated that a further outbreak of influenza has occurred there, caused by a patient from Opunake district going there on a visit before he was quite recovered. The cases are at present confined to onß family, and are directly attributable to that cause. This tend 3 to show that great care should still be taken with regard to anyone travelling who is not fully recovered.

HOW ENGLAND WAS AFFECTED.

A SOLDIER'S OBSERVATIONS. A soldier just returned from England informs The Post that the concluding stages of hostilities found Great Britain faced with another deadly foe—the influenza epidemic. Whilst the armies at the front were each day rapidlv overpowering the Hun, the people at Home were falling victims at the rate of thousands daily to the dreaded disease. It spread with alarming rapidity throughout the British Isles. It made its attacks so suddenly, and with such disastrous results, that before strict measures could be brought into operation to combat the disease, it had a firm grip of the people and wrought havoc throughout the country. Faced with two great perils, the country was in a serious predicament. Thousands of war-workers of all classes were laid aside by the malady, while the ranks at the many camps and barracks were sadly depleted. In spite of the danger in their midst, the people, in a manner almost incredible, responded to the urgent call of "Feed the Guns" with increased effort, hoping that by so doing victory might be assured in the near future. That their extra enegy was not in vain was soon realised when Germany was hopelessly beaten.

WAS IT INFLUENZA? As to whether the epidew*\ was influenza there was much doubt, the general opinion beinf that it was something of a more c rnous nature—a mysterious disea?:. Humour had it that the discsse was the result of some form of bacilli scattered broadcast by the enemy—a last card played in a losing game. As ono prominent medical practitioner remarked: "Unless cases are examined bactericlogically it is taken for granted that the epidemic is influenza. Time is needed to make a bacteriological examination in order to find the specific organism. Until that has been done, it is impossible to dogmatise on the point. My own view is that the epidemic is similar to what we have known for years." Numerous cases come under the notice of doctors which seemed to support the suggestion that the outbreak was related to cerebro-spinal meningitis. People were seized suddenly, many in the streets, and each day the ambulances in London were kept busy with calls. There were cases of sudden paralysis,; not a few of them ending fatally, while hundreds of cases were reported of people being seized with feverish colds from which they died within a few hour 3. The.n, again, many of the bodies of victims became discolored. Attacks in hundreds of instances were followed by blindness and bleeding from the nose. These axe only some of the features of the, outbreiik, but they seemed to indicate that: the epidemic was something more than influenza.

While ftousancU of people were dying: daily, by.;fie epidemic, the Government kept silent on the matter. The need of Health Ministry wa; urgent. "It i» : i putting the cart before the horse," Sir Kingsley Wood remarked at a meetitttt; ''to call a belated conference of" medical, v.vperts to advise public precaution in regard to influenza. Wliat was wanted long ago was a central health authority, whose duty it would have been to investigate the disease, not at the bedside but in the laboratory." At least one newspaper repeatedly warned the Government of the disquietude being caused by the mysterious deaths of hundreds of soldiers and sailon at concentration camps and barracks, yet no official statement was forthcoming It was not until the disease had caused an appalling 1083 of life that a notification was made in the form of a, circular letter from the Government Health Board to the Health authorities. I This stated: "A careful record should I lie kept of the course of the epidemic lead of administrative action taken, in older that subsequently all available information as to this disease may be 1 analysed,"

PICTURE PAIiAOJJS AND SCHOOLS. The doling of public places of entertainment, particularly the picture theatres, which were considered likely paarmjai. iaXactioa. yMjAiGtifti, fcuA

they continued to remain open. The schools and other such places were senousiy affected, and in most eases were compelled to close down. The London County Council Education Committee, however, decided to carry on the schools as long as there was a sufficient'staff to work them." This decision was made oil the advice of the medical otlieer, who did not consider that the closing of the schools would serve anv useful'imrposo m Preventing the .spread of the disease a peculiar decision in view of the fact that the death rato among children was reported to be exceptional!;' high. .Excellent results were 'obtained in checking the outbreak and its complications on transports crossing the Atlantic by tne universal use of a .iacc-ma.sk. One large transport, carrying thousands of troops, had only ISO cases of influenza. But, in spite of these and many other suggested ways of avoiding the disease people in every walk of lif o were attacked. In fact, according to reports, there was hardly a house-hold or dwelling-place in the British Isles that was not affected in some way by the epidemic.

HEAVY DEATH RATE.

Some idea of the deadly nature of the epidemic may be judged from the fact that during the last week in October there were 7417 deaths from the disease m the ninety-six great towns in England and Wales, whiles 4482 deaths were recorded during tho previous week. The deaths in London alone during that week numbered 2458, es compared with. 1250 the previous week Each day from 50 to 100 people were taken suddenly ill in London streets. Death rates in other towns were tha highest ever recorded.

With such high mortality the medical profession had an exceedingly trying time. It was quite common for a doctor to have a visiting list of between 1000 and 1500 patients, whilo thousands of sufferers were unable to have proper attention, Hospitals and institutions were taxed, many serious cases being unable to secure admission. Whore whole households were ill is was not unusual to sec posted on the front doors if houses such notices as: "Don't knock; walk in. All in bed."

Distress was apparent everywhere, being chiefly indicated by the large number of funerals, hundreds of which took place every day. indeed, undertakers had so strenuous a time that many were compelled to refuse orders. As a result todies were unable to be interred for five or sir days. One sad instance was that of a family of ten laid aside by the disease. Five of the children died, and whilst the remaining five members of the family were confined to one room, the bodies cere left in tiie house for several days. So serious was the position throughout the country that the War Office had to send out batches of carpenters to assist undertakers in making coffins, while in many places soldiers were employed in digging graves. Hundreds of soldiers, overjoyed at returning home after strenuous times at the front, met distress at the doors of their homes, quite a number arriving in time to attend the funeral of .'elatives.

DOCTORS PUZZL2D. Captain -j. T Marhall (retired!, of Wellington, has forwarded to the -£ayoi of Wellington a copy of a letter received from his brother, written in Glaagow on October G, and referring chiefly to tha influenza epidemic at Home. In tiie course of the letter the writer states:— "We went for holidays at the end of August, but within i fortnight l' was knocked over with that scourge, the socalled influenza (which is now almost a:i epidemic), and that in a strange house was added trouble. The old-timo influenza by my (and no doubt your) recollection was a simple, if severe, cold in the head. What the doctors mean by applying the name to a severe fever, accompanied by unconsciousness and uU"" helnlessness, I don't know, and. r. hat is more, I don't think the docfors know. II is all over the Kimrdmn, anyway, and it leaves the victim mortahy weak, with the gropt risk of (so-called) pneumonia f"l!uwin« it in cases of weakly people, and the doctors fear mortally a chill on recovery from influenza. Fortunately I was free of that, and got 011 the Convalescent list very weak after a month in bed. being for some of the days of the crisis unconscious. The result was to spoil the whole holiday for all of us, but we had to stay some three weeks lon?cr till f was strong for the journey, and we returned here (to Glasgow) mi September 24. They tell me I was ;H bet ore I left, but it ".-as not to ?>iy knowledge, or we never would have start'efl. The illness declared itssit fully after the first week, so on<j cannot blame an infection after leaving Glasgow. This is the only serious illnw:;

I have had m all my life Some s:i,vcest that prisoners or refugees brought the trouble from the Continent.. It attacks all classes and all aires, and lots of schools are closed, and works »,rc seriously interfered with owing to "the epidemic among the work-people- Conditions or means or surroundings seem to play no part in the spread of r,hu disease, and the medical men are wondering yet My doctor said that if the temperature rose to 103 the fever Took charge, and his fight wis to get that riiduend: but T am curious to know ,;/hr.r» and how the original infection arose—the doctors look wise, but have nothing to say." It appears that in triving the return?, of the deaths in Glasgow those who died of influenza were separated from those who succumbed to pneumonia, foi Cw letter says: "Fiftv-five died in Dla.'gonr from influenza last, week, and sixty-five from pneumonia " The letter continues: "Many in Britain try to deny that, ii: Is an infectious disease, hut T see renorlr-d : -!-

day (October G. 101R) "that the- Trench Government has ordered it L ., he renorted as infectious. The British jootors will wake up and follow ir« French lead in perhaps twenty "ears to ~owk>. and then let. themselves down easy i v giving it some new name to clou'i ill* v.sue. Up to the present it i? v«tv mysterious wl:ac the cursed tiling is>."