The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-09
IMPROVEMENT IN
 FEVER SITUATION
Physicians Believe Situation is
 Now Well In Hand
MOST CASES OF MILD TYPE
Outside the Infected District On the Southside Only a Few Cases Are Scattered Over the clty-Few
 Cases Among the Negroes.

It is a matter of general public interest that the typhoid fever epidemic, which threatened to sweep over Birmingham a month or so ago, is believed to be on a decline. number of the most promi- nent practicing physicians in the city were seen yesterday ,and 1t is the general opinion among them that the fever slt- uation is well under control, and little further trouble is anticipated.
 When the spread of fever reached such an alarming point several weeks ago, steps were taken fin every direction to head 1t off. The city authorities put the street cleaning and garbage collecting forces on double duty and every little hole was cleaned out and kept clean. Cit izens took the situation in and every body got to work to stop the spread of fever.
 Consequently, typhoid fever being an in- fectious and not a contagious disease the painstaldng of the public resulted in it's abatement. It is understood that there were very few families living in their homes on Eleventh avenue up to two weeks ago, and number of them are still away from the City on account of the fever
 Physicians state now, however, inst everything is running very smoothly and conditions in the past two weeks have been encouraging. Dr. R. B. Hardness, city health officer. stated yesterday aft ernoon that within the last three weeks there had been comparatively few new cases of typhoid fever reported.
 He stated that in his opinion, the fever had been checked in the infected portion of the South Highlands and conditions had grown no worse in other portions of the city. Other than the vicinity, around Eleventh avenue, south, he stated that he knew of no district in which typhoid fever was prevalent to any marked degree. There are, of course. cases scattered all over the city, but cases are no more nu- merous than Is usual a this season of the year
 As a general rule the cases reported within the last two months have not been of any unusual type. The fever has not been of the usual severity in many cases, and it is thought by many of the physi- clans that a number of the cases diag nosed were too mild to be typhoid Ac cording to the statement of physician yesterday, a true case of fever confines the patient for at least three weeks.
 Considering the large number of cases which have been reported, the death rate has been very low. Comparatively few deaths have been caused primarily from typhoid fever.
 A statement from a prominent negro doctor last night was to the effect that typhoid fever had spread among the ne- groes, and in the negro quarters of the city only to the very smallest degree, and deaths from fever among them have been few indeed The physician stated that only three new cases had been reported to him within the last three weeks.
 The heads of the sanitary and health departments are very much encouraged at the progress being made. The sanitary department is watching with open eyes all the time, and a number of arrests are being made daily for violations of the san itary law Garbage cans and dry closets are being watched very closely.
 Laboratory tests made recently by the health department have shown compara- lively few positive cases of fever. Mum bers of tests are being made every day however, showing that the fever is being watched, but the majority of them sfi6w negative tests
 There has at no time been a general epidemic of typhoid fever prevalent In the city, but only local one due to local causes. and with the fever under control in the particular neighborhood, 1t is not believed that further trouble of a rious nature will be experienced.