Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-05
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING

During the next four months OF GUNNER
and early fall 1t will pay every 1ndi-
vidual and every
Warning Against community in the
Typhoid Fever. s un,.sa ev saa's' safe e
guard against typhoid fever. This ad-
vice is given by officials of the United
States public health service, who are
more active than ever this season In
warning people to guard themselves
against typhoid during July. August.
September and October, which Is the sea-
son Of the year when the disease Is more
prevalent than at. any other time.
The United States suffers from typhoid
tremendous economic loss. amounting
to many times over what the work re-
CURED to prevent such loss would cost.
says Passed Assistant Surgeon L. L.
Lumsden Of the United States public
health service, in a report on the disease.
Typhoid fever is a filth-borne disease.
1t Is caused by germs which are para
petuation upon multiplication in the
bodies of human beings. The germs
are discharged from the bodies Of
persons, and to cause the disease
be swallowed Every person who has
typhoid fever has recently swallowed
some typhoid germs which have come In
some way from the excreta of some in
fected person. Unless we put into our
mouths and swallow something which
human filth we will not have typhoid
fever.
Typhoid germs. or typhoid bacilli. as
they are called are very minute organ
isms Twelve thousand Of them placed
end to end measure only about one inch.
On account of their minute size. many
Of them may be contained in a small
particle Of matter.
"A house fly may carry enough typhoid
germs on its legs and body to infect large
quantities of foods and beverages. and
so cause a large number Of persons to
be exposed to typhoid infection. Fingers
mechanically clean-that is, free from
gross dirt-may carry typhoid germs to
mouths directly, or indirectly through
foods. Water, clear. sparkling and free
from Objectionable taste and odor may
contain them. Milk. apparently clean
and sweet and rich, may be teeming with
typhoid germs.
1T must be remembered. however,
that every person who swallows typhoid
germs does not have typhoid fever
Neither does every person who tnhales
or swallows tubercle germs have tuber-
culosis; nor does every person who gets
diphtheria bacilli into his mouth or nose
have diphtheria- Disease germs. like
other seeds, must get into favorable soil
for growth and multiplication to occur.
In epidemics of typhoid fever caused by
heavily infected public water supplies 1t
is unusual for more than one out Of ten
Of the persons who drink the water to
have typhoid fever. AS a rule, the pro-
portion is smaller, frequently not more
than one per hundred Of the population
exposed. Science has not yet determined
definitely just what constitutes individ-
ual susceptibility to typhoid infection.
cat I'd y,
against typhoid by seeing that the houses
in which they live are screened against
flies. that their food is protected against
contamination. and by assuring them
selves that the water and milk which
they drink come from sources that are
free from typhoid infection.
Extensive typhoid outbreaks in the
majority Of instances occur because of
the existence Of obviously faulty and
dangerous conditions which should be
the outbreaks occur. No community
having a reasonably safeguarded water
supply and general food supply and a
decent system Of disposal will have
either outbreaks or a high annual prev
alence Of typhoid fever"
Investigations made by experts Of the
public health service show that in recent
years the average annual typhoid death
rate for the whole United States has
been forty-five persons in every 100000
population.
An army Of $4,000 people are killed in
the United States every year by typhoid
fever. Investigations made by the public
health service show that this high num-
Der Is small compared to the number
Of persons who are affected by the dis
ease. More than 10000 people are in
capacitated by typhoid, it has been
learned. and a large number of the cases
are people who were at the period Of
their largest earning capacity. The eco
nomic loss caused by typhoid runs up
into many millions of dollars each year.
With a small amount of care on the part
of individuals and a comparatively small
expenditure of money on the part OF
communities, health officers say that a
large part Of this loss could be easily
prevented.