The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1913-06-11
HOW DANGER Turks
IN GERMAN MEASLES
Itself Comparatively Harmless,
1t Often Serves as Deadly
Disguise for Real Meas
les and Scarlet Fever.


ment comes tapping at your door this
spring, and says Il am German
Measles" don't you take anybody
word for it except that of your ply
stefan.
German Measles" whose other
name is "Rubella," is a mild-man
nered fellow himself, who will likely
not do you any harm, but there are
couple of grand rascals masquerade
ing in his guise, and if one of them
gets into your house there may be
trouble. One of them Is named true
measles and the other is scarlet fe-
yer. Both are exceedingly dangerous
guests, according to the Georgia
State Board of Health, and have Of
ten accomplished their most dire re-
suits when carelessly mistaken for
rubella.
Of course nobody wants to have
German measles if he can help It,
and when the disease breaks out in a
community, the State Board of Health
urges that all the regular precautions
against any epidemic be taken; but
the principal danger lies in the fact
that the other more serious diseases
may be mistaken for it.
For many years German measles,
which is sometimes also called
French measles or roseola, was con-
fused even by physicians with meas
les and scarlet fever, as the skin
eruption sometimes resembles the one
and sometimes the other. But Ger
man measles is now recognized as
an entirely separate and distinct dis
ease, which bears no relation what
ever to the regular measles or scarlet
fever
it is Highly Contagious.
While not a dangerous disease as
compared with the two latter men
toned. German measles is highly con-
tagous and persons attacked with II
suffer from many of the unpleasant
symptoms that accompany true meas
les. Single cases are seldom seen
The disease usually makes its appear
ance in a community in epidemic
form. The winter and spring months
are the usual times. German measles
can be communicated during the en-
tire course of the disease, but IS most
contagious during the earlier stages
The only persons immune are infants
under six months, and persons VINO
have already had it. The tact tnat
Won may have had measles betore'
gives YOU no immunity from German
measles, nor does an attack of Ger
man measles protect you from meas
les germs in the future.
The first thing to do in case Oh
German measles is to make sure
that it is really German measles. "A
simple method of diagnosis, after the
rash appears, is to see if the glands
at the back of the neck are enlarged.
If they are, it is probably German
measles. But this mode of diagnosis
is not always sure and the only safe
plan is to have a doctor
The diagnosis once established
there is very little danger from Ger
man measles. 1t usually runs a mild
course. and if the patient receives
the proper attention during the attack,
there will not likely be any compiled
lions or after effects.
The treatment is simple. The pat
ient should be isolated to prevent the
spread of the disease; should be put
to bed and kept on a liquid diet. the
nhvsician will sometimes prescribe
such drugs as the circumstances may
demand: or in some cases no medl-
cine at all may be needed.
Course of the Disease.
After one has been exposed to the
disease, it usually takes ten to twenty
DAYS for it to develop. The appear
ance of the rash is usually the only
first symptom, though it may be ac-
companied by catarrhal symptoms
and a general Sick feeling. Fever,
if present at all, is usually slight.
The Emphatic glands at the back of
the neck are nearly always swollen.
The rash usually appears first on
the face and then spreads; but in ex-
ceptional cases it may appear first on
anv part of the body. Sometimes it
appears as small pimples, sometimes
as large pimples, and sometimes in
large irregular reddish splotches.
The eruption usually lasts three days
but sometimes runs to six Gonzales
cence is exceedingly rapid, if proper
care is taken of the patient.
In stating that German measles is
a mild disease, two things must be
borne in mind: first that it is highly
contagious and that just as much care
should be taken in its isolation as in
anv other epidemic disease, and.
second, that like many other intrin-
sicallv mild diseases it can easily
enough result in serious complications,
if not treated with reasonable care.
In cases where the epidemic breaks
out in a community, the usual precau-
tions should be taken by the families
in which the disease appears, and by
the local health authorities Isolation,
- tho sterilization nv burning boil-