INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1919, Page 5

INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.

CAUSE BELffiVEP ' ESTABLISHED:' BY ARMY DOCTORS IJj FRANCE. . i Received 7, 735 p.m. London, Feb. 6. The highest army medical authorities are preparing a report by army doctors in France which is believed to have established the cause of influenza which, up to the present, has baffled bacteriologists.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc. EFFICIENCY OF THE MASK., CONFLICTING OPINIONS. Received Feb. 7, 10.45 p.m. Sydney, Last Night, The Government is preparing a moratorium scheme applying to persons affected by the influenza restrictions. A preliminary vote of £IO,OOO is available immediately to relieve the distress. Conflicting opinions as to the value of the mask against infection resulted in Dr. George Fox being committed for trial for refusing to wear a mask. He maintained that breathing vitiated air was causing serious consequences among patients, particularly those inclined tu tuberculosis; also that infection was just as possible through the eyes. Dr. Paton considers that if a mask is properly cleaned the wearer does not breath the air exhaled. The Government maintains a rigorous attitude in its endeavor to prevent further infection frgm Victoria, where public opinion is being aroused against the apathy of the authorities. Deaths and cases continue to increase, yet officials remain unruffled. Many of the Advisory Board's recommendations have not been adopted, and others are not being rigorously enforced. The disease appears to be evenly spread over the whole of Victoria. A Federal order is only now prescribing isolation for all oversea ships, including those which previously called at infected ports in Australia. Country race meetings are now prohibited. In New South Wales there is a great exodus to the mountains and seaside resorts. FURTHER CASES IN VICTORIA. APPEAL FOR NEW ZEALAND NURSES. Melbourne, Last Night. Ten deaths and thirty-three new cases were registered to-day. Owing to the scarcity of nurses the Health Department has telegraphed to New Zealand for fifty. ADDRESS ON THE DISEASE. By Telegraph.—Press Asseciatisn. Christchurch, Last Night. Dr A, B. Pearson, pathologist at the Christchurch hospital, gave an address at the Science Congress to-night on influenza. Dealing with Christchurch experience from a bacteriological point of view, he said in the winter months there were rather more than the usual number of influenza cases, but few if any serious. At the end of October the eases admitted here became severe, with some pulmonary conplications. After December flth there were very few admissions, but up to the present patients had come in with other illnesses, noticeably inflamation of the pleural cavity, as a late complication of the influenza. From the hospital records it was seen that front November Ist to December 16th there were (!3S cases of influenza at the hospital. with 222 deaths. Taking into consideration the desperate state of prneically all of these patients, he though* the hospital staffs and V.i.D's deserved very great praise for their efforts in keeping the death rate down to this comparatively low figure. From bacteriological tests he had made he found the staff had to deal with three types of chitis and pneumonia; (8) pneumonia and sppticaemia. In regard to the bacteria of the plague, the senernl oninion of medioftl nnd nursing staff was favorable to the result of vaccine in the treatment of influenza cases.