HOME HEALTH GUIDE
TREATMENT OF COMMON COMPLAINTS INFLUENZA. (Prepared and issued by ihe Health Dept.) Remember the great influenza epidemic of 1918? That black summer when New Zealand was caught in the wave of a plague that swept round the world and struck hundreds of thousands dead? They did not die of influenza. They were killed by virulent germs that attacked with the help of influenza. People don’t die of influenza. It is not fatal. By itself the influenza virus produces a short, sharp illness from which recovery is rapid. The danger of influenza lies in what it encourages other germs to do. It is the “fifth column" of the big army of infectious germs. It is with us all the time, and passed from one person to another, at the slightest sign of bodily weakness brought on perhaps by a cold or a chill—it gets busy. Quickly it further undermines our resistance, and paves the way for the easy invasion of other and more deadly germs. That is when the trouble begins, when the other germs get to work, and if the patient is not cared for properly, death may intervene—usually from some heart or lung complication. Immediately the symptoms show up —a slight temperature, chilly sensations, aching of the limbs, and a generally fed-up feeling—put the patient to bed. This is the start of the dangerous period, when complications may start without warning. Keep him warm and call a doctor, who knows the dangers ahead and the way to avoid them.
Don’t let the patient back to work or school too soon. Make him stay in bed for a day or two after his temperature becomes normal. Be firm. If he is young and husky and not used to being ill, he will probably have to. be managed when he starts feeling a little perky again. Influenza is extremely infectious, so it is up to the other members of the household to look after themselves. Keep the house well ventilated, and the patient’s room as well, because the influenza virus hates fresh air. Wash the hands at once after contact with the patient or his secretions. Discarded handkerchiefs should be placed in disinfectant. Avoid inhaling the patient’s breath, especially when he is coughing, sneezing or talking. Anyone nursing a patient is advised to wear a simple gauze mask over the mouth and nose when attending him. It pays.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 September 1941, Page 2
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400HOME HEALTH GUIDE Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 September 1941, Page 2
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