The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1912-06-07

The malarial mosquito is found IN
many sections of Georgia, and IN
some parts of the state the preva-
lence of the disease has proven a
serious drawback to development.
The Georgia State Board of Health
has already done much work looking
to the eradication Of malaria, and
since the disease can be prevented II
certain precautions are taken, 1t is
important that the people of Georgia
should know just what should be done
to stop it, and how to do it.
1t has been proven beyond all
doubt that malaria is contracted only
through the bite of the Anopheles
mosquito. This mosquito bites per-
son suffering from malaria; the germs
are taken up with the blood which the
MOSQUITO sucks. After the proper pc
riod of incubation, about eight days,
these germs make their way to the
venom gland of the mosquito and are
transmitted into the blood OF the next
person it bites This is the process,
and it goes on and on, and the germs
of malaria are transmitted from one
person to another solely and only
| through the agency of this particular
kind of mosquito.
The malarial mosquito lives chiefly
in or around the house or stable, and
! is rarely seen in the woods or the
open. His favorite haunt is in the
dark corners of rooms or stables He
does his work by night, rarely ever
| becoming active during the day,
which explains why the danger from
| him is reduced to a minimum during
| the daylight hours.
The Board of Health has already
called attention, in an article given
| to the press and published generally
over the state, to the Importance of
screening houses. Only by effective
screening can this dangerous insect,
along with flies and other insect pests,
be kept out. Persons in malarial dis
| tricts should not sit upon open porch
es at night, and should take care to
| sleep under properly constructed nets.
! If this is done there is no danger of
| any one contracting the disease.
These precautions are not necessary
during the day, because, as stated,
the malarial mosquito rarely attempts
| to bite except at night.
Those who have the disease should
remember that they are a constant.
source of danger to others about
about them, and should not only treat
it vigorously, but should also be dou-
| bly, careful as long as they have the
| disease to avoid being bitten by
mosquito at night.
Many children often have malaria
without showing symptoms of it, and
unless they sleep under nets are lia-
BILE to infect large numbers of mos
quitoes. The blood of children in ma
| larial localities should be examined
from time to time, and If the para
sites are found, they should be given
4 unit
| Almost all negroes in malarial To-
calities are affected, though very few
of them show symptoms of the dis
ease. 1t is important, therefore, that
| they should be treated properly and
their white neighbors should see to-
it, for their own protection, that such
negroes do not sleep in houses unpro-
| tected by nets.
| If these precautions were carried
out for a few months, malaria would
practically cease to exist in Georgia,
and would not recur unless individu-
ais suffering from it should come into
districts where the Anopheles mos
quito is present.
The germ or parasite of malaria at
| lacks the red corpuscles of the blood
and produces a poison that causes the
| symptoms characteristic of malaria.
The most common of these symptoms
occur in that form of the disease
known as malarial or intermittent fe-
YER In this type. the patient, who
may or may not Rave noticed chilly
sensations, feeling of fullness in the
head and general bodily depression, is
suddenly seized with a chill followed
by a high fever and subsequent pro-
| sIse Precipitation. The patient then
-e+rrrs 10 normal until another at
tack follows. The most common form