Norwich bulletin., 1910-03-19
MUCH SCARLET FEVER
 THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
Nearly 500 Cases During the Past Month Were Reported, Although Norwich Reports But One in Febru- ary-Warning About the Disease.

During the past month there were 449 cases of scarlet fever in sixty one in Canterbury. one fin Danielson,
 four in Mansfield. three in New Lon-
 don, two in Stafford, one in Holland,
 twelve in Willimantic and one in Windham.
 Dr. J. H. Townsend. secretary of the
 state board of health, has the following g
 to say about the disease in the monthly
 bulletin:
 Scarlet. fever has been very preva-
 lent in the state during the past win
 ter, particularly in Bridgeport, New
 Haven and some of the towns in Fair
 field county; 449 cases were reported last month, as compared with 129
 cases in February, 1909, and 197 cases in February, 1908.
 There is no one of the infectious dis eases which differs in the intensity of its outbreaks as does scarlet fever, the
 mortality varying widely in different very mild, which in a measure &C., counts for its continuance, since there are many mild walking cases whose only symptom is a slight sore throat, and these ambulatory cases may con- vey the disease as well as the more serious ones.
 The specific germ of scarlet fever is not known but the disease is probably some form of streptococcus infection. We do not know either how the infec- tion is carried from one person to an other. The desquamation of the epi- dermfs has been looked upon as the danger time for infection and the scales themselves supposed to be car Tiers of the poison, but this is by no means proven It is quite likely in the onset at least that the contagiou is contained in the secretions of the nose, throat and respiratory tract, and it has been sugg ested that the scales of epi- dermis contain the poison only as they become infected by the secretions. Ex- f1aT Gh hat ian erfxr< the disease to others until the compile tfon of desquamation, which lasts usu- ally until the sixth week of the dis ease, but no person should be consid- cred well free from infection who still has a discharge from the ears or nostrils.
 For the control of the disease we must prevent the contact of the sick with the well and must insist on a thorough disinfection of the secretions during illness and of the patient and a apartments at its completion. Isolation Is difficult in most homes and disin- that better results could be obtained by removal of the patient to a well equipped hospital for the care of con tagious diseases. More attention must be paid to the latent cases. Much is to be expected from a rigid system of school inspection and persistence in the disinfection of the secretions of the nose and throat. The school room is usually thought to De the chIef factor in the spread of the disease but in the present outbreak the number of cases in adults and children under school age would indicate that it is quite as readily contracted elsewhere, probably in trolley cars, tl1eaterS and other pub lie assemblies. Health officers and can do little in the control without the cooperation of the public, and all should obey the Golden Rule by to a proper diagnosis of even the mildest case and by strict observance of all sanitary regulations.