Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-07-02
MEASLES A SERIOUS
Ill FOR CHILDREN
Death Rate Is Hgh-Georga Board
OF Health Warns Parents Not to
Underestimate Its Danger.


Atlanta, Ga.-Measles, a disease
looked upon by many as one of the
comparatively harmless ailments in
cident to childhood, causes annually
nearly three times as many deaths as
smallpox, says the Georgia State
Board of Health. These figures will
cause many people to take an entirely
new view of this highly epidemic dis
| ease with which practically all COM
munities at one time or another have
had experience.
Few mothers realize that for child.
rem under five years of age the per-
centage of deaths from measles is,
sometimes nearly ten out of every
hundred. The disease, however, is one
which powerfully illustrates the truth
of the old proverb that IAN ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure
for If the child escapes measles until
after it Is five years of age, the chanc-
es of death are rapidly decreased, so
that among children from five to ten
years of age the death rate is only
one out Of every hundred and from
ten years on up is even less than one
per cent.
Measles commonly occurs in epidem-
les, attacking children for the most
part, and it's prevalence at one time
or another in every section of the
country, has led the public to think &C
1t as a trivial and slight disorder
which must occur once in a life time.
and that the sooner a child has it
and gets over it, the better it is for
the child.
But persons who take this view for
get not only the danger Of death
among younger children, but the fact
that measles often leaves the patient
with some serious and permanent
troubles of the eyes, ears, heart or
kidneys.
Highly Contagious.
Measles is a highly contagious dis
ease accompanied by inflammation Of
the air passages, and a peculiar, mot
tied, dusky-red eruption of the skin.
One attack usually protects person
against the disease for the remainder
of life. Measles is an exceedingly old
disease, and has been affecting man
kind for hundreds of years. Careful
studies have shown that measles, like
whooping cough, is spread directly
from case to case, and is rarely if ev.
Or annun-ynd in1irn1f1tr NV infnnfn1
objects or by third person. But it
can be acquired by very slight ex-
posure of contact with one of who al
ready has it. Practically everybody
is susceptible to it, and 1t spreads
rapidly wherever it appears in local
tiles containing those who have not
previously had It,
One of the things that makes meas
les most difficult to control, is the
fact that a patient with measles may
convey 1t to others very early in the
course of the disease, before the erup.
ton appears at all, and before dag
nosis can be properly made. The pa
tient is highly infectious for three or
days before the rash has appeared
When a child is exposed to meas
les, from ten to fourteen days elapse
before any symptoms of the disease
appear Usually at the end of about
ten days the patient begins to mani
fest symptoms of illness. The
development of the disease is usually
gradual and insidious, though more
rarely it will come on suddenly with
vomiting and high fever. Normally
the first symptoms are those of an
ordinary cold, the eyes are REDEEMED
and watery, the nose runs freely. and
there is a dry, high-pitched cough.
The throat may be sore, the tonsils
swollen; headache, fever and less Of
appetite follow. The disease is ac-
companied by fever, which disappears
at certain stages and then recurs.
The eruption shows first on the lin
ing of the mouth. Then comes the
eruption of the skin, beginning usual
ly around the face and neck, composed
of small, slightly elevated spots, Of
q dusky red color The eruption lasts
usually four or five days and disap-
pears as the other symptoms improve.
Get Physician.
Every case of measles should be
attended by competent physician.
Neglect of an apparently trifling case
may mean lifelong injury to the eyes.
ears, heart or other organs.
The contagion of measles is hard to
control, but with the active co-opera-
tioD OF mothers and fathers its spread
can always be checked This cannot
be done by any public officials or any
health department alone. If parents
will use their efforts to prevent well
children from becoming infected by
Keeping them away from children who
have recently had the measles or
who have been exposed to it, and II
parents will promptly isolate any
older children who may contract Il.
the dangers of spreading the disease
VII. be materially lessened.
Health authorities should notify the