H.—3l

30

Mortality among Natives. Table IX shows (hat 1.232 deaths from acute cataarhal diseases look place during 1918, of which 1,160 were during Ihe months of October, November, and December. As the average Native deaths per year from all causes is about 750, the above figures show I lie heavy toll which influenza took among the Maoris. II is not at present possible to give the exact figures for inlluenza. It is significant that whereas in 1917 there were in September thirteen deaths from respiratory diseases, in September, 1918, there were twenty-nine such deaths, and we know from the medical officers' reports that influenza was prevalent among the Natives at this time, but we cannot estimate the actual figures for the first- wave of infection with any degree of accuracy. There is less doubt as to the second wave. Comparing the figures for the last threc # months of the year in 1917 with those of .1.918 we find in the former year twenty-seven deaths, as against 1,160 in 1918. it is safe to assume that about 1,130 of these deaths were due to influenza, yielding the high total death-rate of approximately 220 per cent, for the Native population Excluding cases whose deaths during an attack of influenza might be attributed to other causes, the secondary wave of influenza, reckoned as from the Ist October to the 31st December, resulted in the following death-rates in the Dominion :— Deaths at per 10,000 of the ' Ueat " B ' Mean Population. European ... ... ... ... 5,471 4960 Native ... ... ... ... 1,130 22G00 The excess death-rate per 10,000 of population in the larger towns in America during the epidemic period was 500, so that the New Zealand rate for Europeans does not appear unduly high. In Cape Province, South Africa, it was 335"0, but this included man)' Native cases. In Natal it was lli'7. Case Death-rate. We have no figures showing the case mortality for the general population. In the military camps during the second wave about 4"5 per cent, of the total number infected died. Pneumonic complications arose in about 11. per cent, of the cases, and this was the chief cause of death. In addition to this, there were ten deaths from ccrebro-spinal fever among the convalescents. The case mortality in South Africa was given as 257 per cent, for Europeans of all ages and 59 per cent, for Natives. As the population of the camps in New Zealand was made up of males of most susceptible age the case death-rate of 45 is not excessive. In Maryland, U.S.A., the case death-rate for males between twenty-five and twenty-nine is given as 4'B per cent., and between the ages twenty and forty as 36 per cent. Influence of Age, Sex, anil. Race. It is the general experience that males are more susceptible to influenza than females, ami that in the present epidemic those of adult years were most severely affected. Thai this was the ease in New Zealand is well shown in the following table :—

Table XIII. — European Deaths occurring during Epidemic in Age-groups

.Males. Heath-rate per 1(1,000 of .Male Population. females. Proportion Death-rate Ol Copula- .Nun her i() 000 tronol each of bl Female Deaths. p opu , atlon . to Total. Both Sexes. Proportion Death-rate .-Ag0 r] group Death.. ,,,„ , ■ Proportion of Population of each Age-group ' to '.total. Ago-group. Number of Heaths. I I Under 5 5 and under 10 10 „ 15 15 „ 20 20 „ 25 25 „ 30 30 „ 35 35 „ 40 40 „ 45 45 „ 50 59 „ 55 55 „ 61) 60 „ 65 65 „ 70 70 „ 75 75 „ 80 80 „ 85 85 „ 90 90 „ 95 95 and over 117 24 32 162 295 546 678 602 390 252 142 72 56 44 45 30 10 7 1 1 1.6-92 3-75 5-61 35-35 110-30 152-28 163-69 144-57 117-03 74-36 57-54 37-47 33-83 38-23 52-66 48-38 33-69 74-47 67-57 333-33 12-81 II" 17-55 11-86 I 25 4-02 10-58 ' 35 6-33 8-49 I 95 19-89 4-96 193 | 38-09 6-64 ' 341 68-21 7-67 332 ! 67-80 7-72 . 220 I 48-22 0-17 I 152 43-59 6-28 ; III 38-86 4-57 116 53-44 3-56 62 38-52 3-07 i 47 36-30 2-1.3 ' 35 35-44 1-58 29 41-09 1-15 30 64-69 0-55 , 16 78-20 - 0-17 I 7 94-85 0-03 001 2 590-00 100-00 1,965 34-88 i I I -84 234 17-23 11-05 49 3-88 9-82 67 5-96 8-48 257 27-16 8-55 488 65-16 8-87 887 103-32 8-67 1,010 111-92 8-10 822 94-20 6-19 ! 542 79-48 5-07 363 58-11 3-85 258 55-62 2-86 134 37-95 2-30 I 103 34-91 1-75 ! 79 36-94 1-25 ! 74 47-43 0-82 60 55-33 0-36 26 51-04 0-13 1.4 83-43 0-03 I 1 32-26 0-01 3 j 428-57 100-00 j 5,471. 49-60 12-31 11-16 101!) S-l 8 6-79 7 -78 S-18 7-92 6-1 S 5-lili , 4-21 3-20 2-07 1-91 I'll 0-98 0-45 0-15 0-03 0-01 Totals. . 3,596 61-96 100-00