Polio Outbreak in BSI

Some Gases Also in Papua

MORE than 300 cases of polio had been reported in an outbreak in the British Solomon Islands up till mid- May. There have been a number of native deaths. A European died on May 6 shortly before the arrival of an iron lung that had been rushed by air from Sydney to aid him.

THE Papua-New Guinea Health De partment has quarantined all ships arriving in the Territory from BSI.

After entering Territory ports they must remain in quarantine for three weeks and no personnel will be allowed to land dur ing that period.

However, to avoid hardship to BSI people, the normal air service from the Territory to Honiara will be allowed to continue. But the schedule has been amended so the plane will not remain at Honiara overnight, and air crews are avoiding all direct contact while on the BSI airstrip.

Already one case of poliomyelitis has accurred at Buin following the visit of Shortland Island natives to a village, rhis village has been isolated but up till May 20 no ban had been placed on the novement of Europeans to and from the Bougainville area. However, visitors are jeing warned not to move among the natives.

The minor outbreak of poliomyelitis at Sudest, Louisiade Archipelago, Papua, ap pears to have ended. Twelve cases >ccurred, one of which was fatal. All :ases were native. (Note: There have been over 1,100 cases )f polio in NSW this year—every day mything from two to a dozen new cases ire reported. Yet no one has thought to luarantine Australian ships or aircraft mtering Territory ports. This may be jecause polio is. considered more or less

endemic in Australia; certainly it seems to bear little resemblance to the epidemics that have flared up in BSI and Papua and other Pacific Islands in recent years, only to die out as quickly as they have ap peared. Polio was little known in the South Pacific Islands until recently; possibly there is some medical explana tion as to why it should suddenly manifest its presence, but to the layman it appears to be an unpleasant mystery.)