Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-07-08
SOME FACTS ABOUT TYPHOID.
State Board Of Health Issues Bulletin and Re-
quests That II Be Given Wide Publicity.


causes, prevention, etc. The bulletin
follows:
Though typhoid fever is as certainly
and readily preventable as any of the
contagious and infectious diseases, yet
each year more deaths occur in Wash
ington from this disease than from all
the other preventable diseases COM
bined, if We except consumption.
"The chief reason for this is the pop.
ular ignorance of or indifference to the
measures which should be taken to
prevent it.
Typhoid fever has been proven be-
yond all doubt to be due to specific
micro-organism known as the bacillus
typhosus or bacillus of eberth, which
is taken into the intestinal canal either
in water or other fluids or with food.
That bacillus comes only from the
bowel discharges, the urine aud the
sputum (spittle) OF a person sick with
typhoid fever; therefore q person who
has typhoid fever must have swallowed
some of the bacilli typhosi which
comes from the body of a person suf-
fering from that disease.
"Unfortunately when the bacilli
typhOsi pass out of the body Of the pa.
tient they do not die, but continue to
live and multiply in this material al
most as we'll as within the body. Cold,
even freezing, does not kill them, but
when frozen or when the weather. is
is too cold. they lie dormant, and on
being warmed up they at once begin
to multiply and are as virulent as
ever. This is why the disease is not
as prevalent in the colder seasons Of
the year as during the warmer sea-
sons.
"The two most important methods
OF conveying this disease are through
the medium Of water and the common
house fly. Whenever the discharges
from the bowels are deposited in q
common privy vault or in a sewer the
eventual destination OF the liquid ele.
ments is running water, either upon
the surface or below the surface of the
ground, and this running water, wheth-
er surface or sub-surface water, not
only can, but often does contaminate
sources of water supply, which then
become infected. If the excre ment Of
q typhoid fever patient be thrown
upon the surface of the ground or in
an open privy without being disin.
fected, the bacilli are often carried by
the surface water into the wells and
streams in the vicinity and even at a
considerable distance.
Whenever the bowel movements or
vomited matter or urine or sputum Of
q person sick with typhoid fever are
left exposed without being disinfected,
flies will get at them and very greatly
increase the danger of spreading the
disease. 1t has been demonstrated to
q certainty that flies do pick up the
bacilli on their feet, and not only de.
posit them on the food of people living
in the vicinity, but upon the manure
piles and other accumulations OF filth,
where they breed rapidly and thus
spread the infection.
"To prevent the spread OF typhoid
fever it is necessary to prevent the ty-
phoid bacilli being conveyed from one
person to another. This would not
be difficult if the excrement OF all per-
sons sick with that disease were
thoroughly disinfected. The trouble,
however, is not 50 much with those
who are very sick, for they are usually
looked after by the physician, but
with the mild or irregular cases, many
of whom do not employ physicians, or
60 to bed, and no attention is given
to disinfection. Then, too, o consider
able number OF the nontypical cases
are not recognized as typhoid. and the
result is that the stools and other ex-
crement are not disinfected and the
health of the community is further
menaced.
"The first essential thing to do, 10
preventing the spread Of typhoid fever
and in stamping out the disease in a
community, is to insis: that each and
every case OF typhoid fever he reported
to the health officer, and also that
every suspicious case be reported as
suspicious OF typhoid. The reason for
this is, that by having complete re-
ports, the health officer will not only
know the full extent of the prevalence
OF the disease, but he will know just
what localities are most affected and
he will then be better able to trace the
infection to its original source and ap'
ply the remedy. When all cases are
not reported, the health officer is in
the dark as to what localities are
most infected and the community il
thereby not only exposed to an un'
necessary expense in discovering and
removing the cause.
"Second Insist upon municipal
and household cleanliness; do not
allow any filthy privy vaults to be
maintained; keep all garbage in
covered cans; clean and disinfect and