THE NORTHERN EPIDEMIC.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3979, 9 July 1913, Page 5

THE NORTHERN EPIDEMIC.

INCREASED ACTIVITY IN AUCKLAND.

AIEDICAL MEN INTERVIEWED

[PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM] AUCKLAND, July ~8. The arrival of official instructions from Wellington last night has caused increased activity in Auckland with regard to precautions against the spread of chicken pox. Six Alaoris who have been treated for the disease in the isolation wards at the Auckland hospital are being conveyed to the isolation. hospital at Point Chevalier. On enquiry at the District Health Office this morning a reporter was informed that a fresh outbreak of chicken pox among the Alaoris had been reported from Cambridge. No _ details were available, but instructions had been wired for the inspector to go out from Cambridge and seek out the affected Natives, and also any suspected “contacts.” The District Health Officer'said that no further notifications had been made. Asked for an estimate of the number of cases among the Alaoris north of Auckland, the officer said that the number would probably be somewhere in the vicinity of 600. AVhen asked further if he knew of the prevalence of chicken pox among children in Auckland (there are a, number of known cases among school children), he remarked that so far as he knew European children were not suffering in any way. The Health Officer added that he was endeavoring to ascertain the length of time which elapsed between the admission of the first patient to the hospital and that of the next patient, who was known to be a “contact.” Ifi the period of incubation proved to be 12 days, the disease would he small-pox, but if it was 21 days it would be chicken-pox. It is understood that steps are likely to be taken at an early date to prevent members of the Native race travelling away from their places of residence. It is also likely, if further precautions are necessary, that Maoris will be prevented from travelling by train, tramcars. and steamers unless they can exhibit permits. Several local doctors were spoken to this morning concerning the nature of the disease. “I am emphatically of opinion,” said one, “that the trouble is something more than chicken-pox, and I am inclined to believe that the disease in Sydney may be identical with that which broke out sooner here. It is possible that both outbreaks have come from the same source—Vancouver.”

Another doctor remarked that a significant .fact \vas that while the Department was causing ‘‘contacts” to be vaccinated, its officials had not been vaccinating those who were actually suffering from the disease. In his opinion the trouble could only be one of two things—namely, chickenpox or small-pox. If the former, vaccination was of no avail, but if the latter it was the most effective method of checking the outbreak.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER.

NO DEFINITE DIAGNOSIS

[BV TELEGRAPH—PARLIAMENTARY CORRESPONDENT!

WELLINGTON, July 8. The Alinister for Public Health (Hon. R. 11. Rhodes) was asked in the House this evening by Air Alyers (Auckland East) whether he could specifically state the exact nature ofi the epidemic that has broken out among the Natives in the Auckland district.

Air Rhodes replied that it was quite impossible at present to 'state the exact nature of the disease. < He did 1 not think that they quite understood the exact nature of the disease that had broken out in Sydney. In Sydney they had what they called a very milcl form of small-pox. There was some doubt as to whether the disease among the Alaoris was the same disease that existed in Sydney. The Department had been able to trace a passenger who had come from Sydney and who apparently had been infected with the same disease as existed there. The doctors could not yet say whether the outbreak in the north was small-pox. “I do not,” the Alinister added, “wish to alarm the public, and I do not think there is any cause for alarm. We are taking every possible precaution.”