The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-17
TYPHOID FEVER
CLOSELY WATCHED
Two Small Epidemics Checked
by State Board Of
Health.

Two small outbreaks OF typhoid
fever In different sections of Virginia
have been definitely traced TO their
source by officials of the State Board
OF Health within the past few days
Because of the warm winter and tho
consequent general prevalence OF ty-
phoid-carrying house flies. there has
been fear Of undue prevalence Of ty-
phoid and the fear seemed confirmed
when the disease made it's appearance
In a great many sections In the early
summer. AS n result. Assistant Health
. Commissioner Allen W. Freeman has
been devotlng most OF his time 10 close
Inspections of outbreaks with view
of tracing the causes and preventing
the spread of Infection. his efforts hnv-
! ing met with marked success.
| In one case the States Investigator
| found that the outbreak was plainly
/ due 30 the pollution of spring; In the
other epidemic he held that typhoid
! fever on dairy farm vas responsible
! for the disease among the users Of the
I milk
! In the former outbreak q number Of
| typhoid cases appeared in a single
| family with one case in family living
nearby. Examination showed that
| both families had used water from n
/ spring which, during a rainy spell. two
weeks before the fever appeared, had
become filed with trash from the sur
| rounding watershed.
1T was 81 typical outbreak, and un-
questionably due to failure to protect
a spring from surface washing" said
! DIR. Freeman in his report. The family
/ physician, however, was alive to the
danger and had vaccnated every one
| in the community against the disease.
Caused by MIX.
| In the other epidemic investiga ted
| by DR.. Freeman n number of cases Of
typhoid appeared simultaneously in
| uirtia f,tt, on1
| became suspicious from the location
of the cases that they were due to
milk Infection, and called on the State
Board of Health for assistance. In
/ spection showed that vast majority
OF the cases in the city in question
were among those who used milk from
| one dairy. and inquiry at the dairy
! disclosed the fact that tho milk was
cooled in water drawn from n stream
that flowed past a house where typhoid
existed. II was also found that the
wife of one of the workers In the
/ dairy living nearby had been taken
sick with trphCiG some weeks ago, and
, had worked in the dairy. "A palmer
case could scarcely be imagined" DR.
! Freeman reported. and the findings of
the local health officer were con
f. firmed."
Officers of the board point out that
the prompt report ot these cases and
| the hearty cooperation of the local
health officers and physicians made
possible the immediate discovery of the
cause, and thereby enabled the af-
| fiicted communities TO take precau-
tions. by no means is il the rule"
reported the epdcmiologist, that the
cause can be so easily and definitely
ascertained in these two outbrea ks.
More frequently we find that general
neglect of sanitary precautions results
/ in the Indirect carriage of typh old
i fever in manner so complex as to
make definite findings impossible. But
in every case we know positively that
( careless methods of sewage disposal
are responsible for the spread of fever
and we can be positive that where
! proper sewage disposal is universal,
typhoid cannot be scattered. our pco-
| pie must keep this fact constantly be-.
/ fore them If they wish TO be rid of
| this summer scourge"
| Only sixteen cases of typhoid have
/ been reported in Richmond during the
| first half OF July. This is under the
usual July average, and is a sharp de
cline from the number reported dur
! ing the first half of June.