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The Brecon Radnor Express Carmarthen and Swansea Valley Gazette and Brynmawr District Advertiser

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THE "FLU" SCOURGE.

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THE "FLU" SCOURGE. BRECON'S HEAVY MORTALITY RATE. DR. REES' REPORT TO TOWX COUNCIL. At the monthly meeting of the Brecon Town Council, on Tuesday, there were present the Mayor (presiding), Aldermen David Powell and H. C. Rich, Councillors J. W. Hedger, C. W. Best, E. M. Meredith, Evan Morgan, J. D. D. Evans G. T. Jones and W. Williams, the town clerk (Mr G. Hyatt Wiiiiams). Dr. Rees (medical offi- cer), and Mr H. Ll. Griffith purveyor). The Epidemic. There was only one subject of public interest brought forward, that wao the Medical Officer',s report, which dealt with the influenza epidemic. Dr. Rees said lie had rather a doleful tale to tel! the council. During the month of November 32 deaths were registered, equivalent to an annual rate of 64.9 per thousand inhabitants. This rate was quite double that of anything he had ever reported before. Out of the 32 deaths, 20 were due to influenza and its- complications, which were equal to a rat-e of 40.6 per thousand. Three- were outside caseis—two being brought to the military hospital and one to the Workhouse Infirmary. The epi. demic reached its height about the latter period of -No- vember. Latterly, it had become distinctly Jess severe, and was now certainly abating, if not actually abated. Last week there wa, a slight wave of recrudescence with a dozen new cases, but he was glad to say that dur- ing the lat few day-s there had been no fresh cases, and it looked as though it was subsiding. (Hear, hear.) When the epidemic was actually abated, he was in- structed by the Local Government Board to report- fully to them, but that report would be more or less of a technical character. Proceeding, Dr. Rees -aid there was a good deal of comment in the town as to why the Cinema should not be closed. The had complied with the instructions of the L.G.B., which laid it down that no cinema could be opened more than three hours without an interval. Together with the Mayor, he had inspected the Cinema, saw the ventila- tion arrangements and thought them quite satisfacton. The proprietor undertook to top the matinees for chi!" dren, and he had only one performance of two hours in the evening. Having heard that children were being admitted in the evening, he had pointed out, tc the pro- prietor the L.G.H. regulations to the effect that when schools were temporarily closed during such epidemics children should not be admitted to the cinema at any time, and he had promised to tee that this regulation was carried out. The Mayor said they quite appreciated the gravity of the crisis they had been passing through. He thought the town could congratulate. itself upon the way in which the members of the medical profession, and their Medical Officer in particular, had tackled the epidemic. Phey thanked them very much for the way they had worked to reduce, the mortalitv among the "inhabitants dunng a very trying time. He went to the Cinema with the Medical Officer, and one of the conditions they down was that it should e left open at night, and -mat net ore each performance fresh air should be pumped in with a'fan, which they saw in operation an- other condition was that there .should be no children allowed in the performances. rnder the advice of the -ledical Officer the Forest of Trees had been postponed, and < he thought everybody was taking every precaution possible, Mr G. T. Jones: Is it ,sti)t in force that no children are allowed to attend the Cinema? The -Nla -,or: Yes. and the Sunday schools ar#closed. Mr TDavid Powell: The elemntary schools will be closed until after the Christmas holiday's Mr Best said personally he thought it. a mistake to have the Cinema opened at all. Thev were justified in in-i.-ting that no children should be admitted, and the proprjet-to;- should lie informed of that. R?'tyinK to Mr J. D. I). Evans, Dr. Rees caid that cUI'Lu,iy tldeivv People had generally escaped the ma). ad)-. middle aged people had "uffaed btd!v hut the mortahty had been highc.t between the ages of 1? and JTO nHue had ns)ted farm house* where almost evervone had been down with the di?ase except aged neo'?e submitted1"^ ? '? ?'? and WQrk" Committee were .ubmi

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