Graham guardian., 1909-05-07
MEASLES A DANGEROUS
DISEASE
April 20, 1909.

III your valley mas spread 10 your
neighboring county of Gila. In
view of the Importance of this dis
ease as a cause of death, and to
the fact that it is to a large extent
preventable, l would like you to
print the following in your paper at
an early date:
Though usually considered a
trifiing malady, the reports of the
Census Bureau show that it actually
causes fifty times more deaths in the
United State than smallpox and that
the actual deaths from measles were
only seven less than from scarlet
fever. This is not to say that meas
les is more dangerous disease than
scarlet fever or smallpox, for if the
latter were allowed to spread the
way measles is allowed to spread,
the deaths from those diseases
would be far greater in number.
But people have held the view too
long that it is a good thing for chill
dren to have the disease and have it
over with, and it is high time that
they got rid of this idea.
1t would seem almost ridiculous
for anyone to urge such course
with reference to smallpox in this
day and generation, yet it is only
little over century since such a
thing was practiced. In those days
the people deliberately exposed
themselves to the disease when it
prevailed in a mild form, just as
many mothers now expose their
children to the measles. This might
be well and good provided that
everyone had to have the measles
before they died, and provided that
it really was more serious in later
years than in the young. But the
opposite are the facts. The NOR
tality statistics of every State
of the United States will show that
nearly all the deaths from the dis
ease occur in children under five
years of age, and that the younger
they are the greater is the chance
of the patient dying. Moreover, as
people grow older, they become less
susceptible to the disease, and a
person who has grown to manhood
without having had the disease is
not in very great danger of ever
getting it.
There is nothing said in the fore
going about the sequelae or COM
plications of the disease. These are
the things which really count. Most
of the deaths are not caused by un-
complicated measles, but by the
pneumonia which so frequently ac-
companies or complicates it, and
which is so very hard to avoid.
Furthermore, almost everyone is
familiar with persons who are deaf
as the result of an ear trouble that
came on during or following an at
tack of the measles. These ear
troubles, too, sometimes cause death
by spreading into the brain and
causing an inflammation.
! am hardly of the opinion that
cases of the disease should be rigid
ly quarantined, being firm believer
that if the people know about the
danger of thing they will take
care to avoid it. For this reason /
think that the publication of some
authoritative information on the
subject will be of value. / do be-
lieve, however, that children from
households where the disease is ex-
istant should be prohibited from at
tending school (public, private, Sun
day or any other kind, until they
have received a written permit to
do so from the health officer or his
agent. Teachers should send chill
dren home who show the first symp-
toms of the disease, and should send
all the children of that household
home as well. There is a Territor.
ial law governing this and the local
officers should see to it's enforce
ment. Section 20 of the Public |
Health Act of 1908 reads as follows:
No principal, superintendent or
teacher of any school and no
parent or guardian of any minor
child, shall permit any child having |
scarlet fever, diphtheria, smallpox
whooping cough, measles or any
other dangerous or infectious or
contagious disease, or any child re-
siding in any house where such a
disease exists, or has recently ex-
listed. to attend any public school
until the local Board of Health shall
have given permission therefor"
To summarize the above:
Measles is a dangerous disease
and may cause death or deafness.
1t is not wisdom to let them get
it while they're young"
Teachers should send children
home who have any of the early
symptoms of the disease. and not
permit their return except upon
certificate. Do not wait for them ,
10 break out with IT,"