Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-05-01
Warning Against Small. poz,

BOWLING GREEN, KY, April a, 'SS
To the health officials and People of
Kentucky:
This Board has received official in
formation since the beginning of the
year of the existence of SMALLPOX in
eleven states of the Union, two of
them adjoining Kentucky. The dis
ease has prevailed extensively in por-
tions of Great Britain during thepast
winter, and is now widespread aud
virulent in California and Cuba, and
manilests an unusual tendency every
where to break over official control
and assume an epidemic form.
This Board, therefore, feels it to be
its duty to warn the people that de-
cisive action should at once be taken
to protect the State from this loath-
some malady. Fortunately the meth
od of prevention is as certain in its
action as it is cheap and easy to OBJ
tain. Vaccination and re-vaccination,
properly done, with reliable virus, is
a certain preventive, and is entirely
free from danger. This is the con-
clusion of the scientific world, after
full investigation and large expert
ence, an may be thoroughly relied
upon. H-r ...1.L
Notwithstanding that this safe,
cheap and perfect protection is with
in the reach of all, it is estimated that
nearly one-third of the people of this
State have never availed themselves
of it. Intelligent persons should not
wait for the law to force them to an
evident duty. No one should allow
himself, or any one for whom ho is
responsible, to lemain unvaccinated
at any time, and especially i'll
the race of the present danger.
Health and school boards, every
where, should cooperate IN requir-
ing vaccination as a condition of
admission to all schools, public and
the proprietors of manufactures and
railroads should make the same re-
quirement of their employees. The
operation should always be done by a
competent physician, at three points
in the same arm, and the person vac
cinated should DO seen by him from
time to time that he may know that
a perfect result has been secured. I'm
perfect vaccination can only give rise |
to false and often fatal sense of Sc
curity.
As further precsutioB, the vari-
Gus health boards of the State, county
and municipal, are requested TO per-
feet their organizations, take every
precaution to prevent the importation
Of the disease into the communities
over which they have control, or,
falling in this, be ready to stamp it
)ut by strictly isolating the first case,
and re-vaccinating every
person endangered by it. The fune-
ais of all persons dying of this dis
'ase should be strictly private The
anne precaution should be observed !
n the management of scarlet fever, z
measles, diphtheria and other infec-
ous diseases. ID
BY the promptness and efficiency
several of our county boards ia
primer years, the disease was easy
Lamped out. In other counties no
lch precautions were taken atthe
utset, and the disease was only
hecked after serious loss of life, /
reat interference with business, from
ne panic incident to an epidemic of
his disease, and an expenditure of
money, which, if judiciously used in
SYSTEMATIC vaccination beforehand,
would have given perfect immunity
o every citizen in the community.
Iere, as in many other things, an
ounce of prevention is not only bet
er but cheaper than pound of cure.
In this, aud all other matters per-
aiming to the public health, the State
Board holds itself in readiness to as
,ist the local boards to the full extent
IF its powders; and all physicians of
The State are requested to promptly |
notify their local boards of health of |
the first outbreak of this or any other |
contagious disease in their respective |
communities.
BY order of the Board.
j.. n MCCORMACK, NJ. d.
SECRETARY, |