Emblems That Continue
p. 77 · Read in the full issue
Alth In Cook Islands
Emblems That Continue to Challenge NZ Government
By J. P. Shortall
ISED on a field survey and on research made this year, the re port discloses that the Cooks amongst the most backward dries in the world in infant tality rates. reveals that over the three ncial years ended 1954-55 the age mortality rate for infants to 12 months) in the whole ;hern Group was 121.48 per I live births. In the Northern ip the situation was far worse 1.5 average. These figures com with a NZ Maori infant tality rate of 58.60 in 1954, or an age of 72.04 over the three years jr review.
Aitutaki, 193 infant deaths 5 registered over the past 15 s, 47.66 per cent, dying within first month. alnutrition (and that is not nation) of mother and infant a primary cause of death, imonia often resulting through of resistance as a result. In tion, there were many cases of jirths through the same cause requently, as an after-effect of > or syphilis in the earlier >ry of the mother. the infant mortality is dis ing, the general health picture irdly less so. At Aitutaki, where latest research team worked, 75 ent. of the population examined infested with intestinal para , which affected children as ig as seven months, i the subject of personal illness, the report says that 73 cent, of males and 86 per cent, emales examined on Aitutaki infested with lice and/or nits. ;e, and the many diseases, to ng leprosy, were spread through estion in living—especially in >ing accommodation. Of 294 lings examined, some very small, )eople were housed in each, on iverage. le survey shows that on taki, 31.5 per cent, of those ex led had microfilaria in the blood, the advanced manifestation jphantiasis—common, even in young. It suggests that con •ation be given to a mass at on the disease, using the drug azan, so well-demonstrated in ich Oceania, and an insecticidal against the mosquitoes. Hetra the report says, is also effec against one of the more pre nt intestinal parasites, jspite the grimness of the gen health picture, the population icreasing at the rate of 2.7 per . annually in the Southern up and will thus double itself 5 years. The report says: “With •ition already lagging far be
hind existing requirements it would appear that measures for lowering infant mortality should be preceded, or at least accompanied, by vigor ous efforts to increase food supplies and, in particular, the availabilty of protein; otherwise the state of affairs might well deteriorate in stead of improving.”
Viewing the present state of affairs in the Cook Islands, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that the £1 million currently ex
b/thA N 7 Hj- i l on a recent re P° rt ««ade in It® ? Z . Me . dl l cal . Research Council on he. ; ') m the Cook Islands, shows that NZ has tr°at V ion eVe Th 9m * of admin A ♦ration. The greatest lack seems to be elementary instruction in hygiene rather vhan in medication. In this matter of nits for example—are government officials supposed to leg-rope offenders and forcibly remove live stock from their hair? Cook islanders are supposed to be reasonably intelligent humans. Would if not be a good idea if they got going on some ot their minor problems themselves—instead of having remedies funnelled into them by Govern ment? —Editor, PIM.
pended by NZ on the Colombo Plan —worthy as that plan may be— should be diverted to its own Cook Islands while the health situation exists as it is now.