The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-12-19
COUGH
DANGEROUS DISEASE
Georgia State Board Of Health Points
Out Necessity for extreme Care
on Part Ct Mothers.

ial disease make q serious and often
fatal mistake, says the Georgia State
Board of Health On the other hand,
It is very fatal; II causes every year
In the United States nearly or quite
as many deaths as scarlet fever, and
almost one-half as many deaths as
diphtheria.
Approximately 5000 deaths in the
United States are caused annually by
whooping cough, and of these about
81 per cent. are Of children under
five years Of age If the child reaches
five years of age without having the
disease, the chances are strongly in
favor of his escaping 1t altogether,
though 1t is by no means certain and
it is well to continue to take precau
tions against it whenever necessary.
Thus, it is the babies who suffer
most from whooping cough and whose
lives are too often laid down in need.
less sacrifice to it Save the babies
from it and the problem is solved.
Considering the danger in whooplng
cough, its fatality resulting more
largely from complications that fol
low it than from the disease itself, it
is strange that SO many mothers looA
on it lightly, and have even been
known in some instances to permit
their children to be exposed to il
while young upon the theory that
they are letter able to stand it ana
that it is well for them 10 have ii
early and be through with it. This
is mistaken and dangerous view TO
take Inflammation Of the breathing
tubes, winch is severe in this as
ease, is often followed by pneumonla
OF an exceedingly fatal type. Besides
being one Oh the most frequent caus
es OF pneumonia in ehllulen klousy
and heart disease often follow
Whooping cough is highly con-
tagious disease III which the breath
ing tubes are severely lnAamed, and
Mulcn is accompanied by peculiar
paroxysmal cough ending in the la
mIliar rWhoop. The real cause ol
the disease is not known: there nave
been many theories InvoIylng numer
Gus germs but none OF them mas ever
been proven out. That Ahe disease
is spread almost enlnely ny lmlneuI-
ate conIacC-a contact Wnlcn must We
fairly close and intimate--is the gen
eraily accepted view as TO the man
ner OF its contraction. When ole
child IN a home has 1T, the others are
practically sure to contract it. 1t is
not generally believed TO be carried
by other persons or through injected
clothing or other articles. Close con
tact will spread it in the open air,
but 1t is not SO liable to do SO as III
the house.
For the first few days after con
tracing the disease the child seems
to have an ordinary cold Which does
not yield to customary treatment. The
cold will continue for week or ten
days; the child grows feYer.sh and
restless: the cough becomes graduaI-
ly deeper and harsher; the Oh Id also
suffers from loss of appetite and may
become restless and sleepless al
night. The next stage is more Sc
we're, bringing the paroxysms OF
coughing from which the disease gets
it's name. If the child is in bed,
coughing spell may come on without
warning: il up and about 1t may be
restless and disturbed, seeming to feel
that an attack is coming on. Any
slight disturbance such as eating,
drinking or crying will bring on a
spell. Beginning with short cough,
there follows a long series Of coughs
which gradually become shorter and
shorter, racking the whole body and
causing the greatest distress At the
END OF the series Of coughs the child
is breathless: its breath Is drawn In
with a sudden catch and whoop.
Sometimes three or four attacks may
come in succession, leaving the child
completely exhausted
Every case Of whooping cough
should be treated by a physician, for
proper treatment not only lessons the
child's suffering, but it leads to
prompt recognition Of the symptoms
of any dangerous complication which
might threaten the child's life
Health authorities have done little
toward stamping out the disease be-
cause Of the generally prevalent be-
lief that It is OF more or less trivial
nature. But it would undoubtedly ma
terially lessen the spread of the dis
ease, If health authorities would take
hold Of 1t as they do Of other dan
gerous contagious diseases, placard-
ing the houses in which there are
whooping cough patients, and other
wise warning against the contagion
1t would be cruel to confine children
with whoop'ng cough entirely to the
house; they need the fresh air But
it has been suggested that children
with whooping cough should be mark
ed with a ribbon of some specified
color worn on the arm when they
go out as a warning to others against
: the disease. Such protective meas
ures must have a tendency to pre-
vent the spread of the disease.
Adoption Of these protective meas
ures car only be brought about when
people are convinced of their value
and necessity. The spread of whoop-
ing cough can easily be controlled, If
the parents Of any community will
unite in the work Parents whose
childfen have the disease should warn
their ne'ghbors and friends against
visiting them: they should see to It
that their children when on the stree
do not mingle with other children
and they should not let other peoples
children come to their homes. Like
wise. parents of children not affected
with the disease, should keep Their