Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-08-28
TYPHOID FEVER SITUATION
Typhoid Fever Situation Discussed By
State Board OF Health
Practical Advice
Office of State Board of Health,
Wheeling, w. Va.
August 26, 1913.

August &c, 1918.
To the People:
The height of the typhoid fever
season is now upon US. Typhoid
fever seems to be quite common
this year all over the country.
Our State is not escaping this
pandemic. AS this disease is
generally most common in the
rural districts, we fear that the
people of our State will pay a
heavy toll in sickness and deaths
from this disease before the sea-
son is over unless aroused to re-
sort to every possible measure of
prevention by communities and
individuals.
CAUSES OF THE DISEASE.
The primary cause of every
case Of typhoid fever is another
case Of the same disease. The
bodily discharges from the af-
flicted are laden with the germs
of the disease and every new case
simply means a replanting OF
these germs. How does this
happen? How do these germ
laden discharges find their way
into our bodies? Our knowledge
upon this points quite extensive;
in fact almost complete. AS far
as epidemics a re concerned,
polluted water and milk, and flies
are the causes. Scattered cases
may be brought about in many
other ways, for dirt, diarrhoea
and dinner too often become
radly confused"
How To ESCAPE THE DISEASE
Communities blessed with a
water supply free from contami-
nation and health departments
with ample means, authority and
ability, need to worry but little
about typhoid fever. A proper
health department will easily be
able to detect and debar contain
mated milk, and with the proper
cooperation of the police depart
ment, it can effectually rid the
community Of exposed garbage
and horse manure which are the
sources of our supply OF flies.
But what about communities not
so fortunate? There is only one
way open to their me bers for
immediate safety and that is to
act individually and make use of
measures of tried and proven
value. These measures are SIM
pie and inexpensive. Boiling the
drinking water is one of the most
important of these measures.
By this should be understood to
include the water for washing
dishes, vegetables and fruits and
for all other purposes that may
lead to the introduction of water
into the system, such, for in
stance, as rinsing the mouth
after brushing the teeth and the
final rinsing of the hands after
washing with soap and untreated
water. Keeping out flies from
the entire house is the next most
important item. For this pur-
pose two effective means are
available and should be used at
the same time: /. To have all
windows and doors in the house
well screened. The effectiveness
Of screening is greatly increased
by including the pore h S,
especially the back porch. 2.
Keeping premises as free as pos
sible from all organic dirt and
keeping garbage in tightly COW
cred garbage cans. If in addi-
ton to these measures the milk
be boiled or Pasteurized, if it's
purity be the least questionable,
the chances for contracting ty-
phoid fever are reduced almost
to entire practical safety. Of
course, it is assumed that along
with h csc measures general
claanIv and healthy WAYS IF liu-