The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-07-02
HOW TO PROPERLY
FIGHT MALARIA
Board of Health Bulletin. J

At the risk of wearing holes in a
subject already threadbare, the State
: board of health is again calling at
tention to the matter of malaria in
} Florida.
There are several features of this
affection which can hardly be too
frequently emphasized. The first is
that it is necessary-entirely I'M
necessary-no one need have it if he
doesn't want to. Second, it is a very
uneconomic disease, in that it re-
} duces to a low stage the physical
and mental productiveness of the in
dividual, reduces his energy, his de-
sire and his ambition to accomplish,
far below the normal. While the
disease is not considered fatal to any
large degree, it lowers the resisting
force and makes easier the way for
the entrance of more serious all
ments.
There is no scale by which the
weakening capacity of malaria may
be measured, but no one who has
watched intelligently the progress of
the disease in even a few cases, can
| fail to have noted this effect.
The malarial parasite has been
identified under the microscope. Its
picture has been taken and it's nab
its have been definitely described.
Not only has the medical profession
provided a simple cure for the dis
ease, but, better yet, it has discov-
cred method of prevention. 1t has !,
been established as a fact that if |
once this parasite could be complete
ly eradicated from any given section,
the disease itself would disappear,
never to return except by importa- |
ton. 1t has been done within GER
tain well known limits in several
foreign countries.
So often has the cycle of malarial
infection and reinfection been de-
scribed, that a repetition can bring
information to few intelligent Flo
ridians. The parasite exists in the
blood of the human patient. BY the
bite of the anopheles mosquito the
parasite is takeninto the system of
the mosquito where it passes
through a period and process of fur
Their development, and by the bite of
the same mosquito 1t is transmitted
into the blood of new human vic
tim. The process is repeated indefi-
nitely and the disease is spread
through a constantly widening cir
Gle of human beings.
To interrupt this cycle of devel-
opment at any stage is to interrupt
and stop the disease. To prevent the
incubation of the mosquito by the
human host, and to prevent the in !.
oculation of the new human victim 7
by the infected mosquito-thats all ,
there is to it. The matter is re- r
solved down to the very simple prop
'sition-don't allow yourself to be
bitten by the mosquito.
In the particular case of the ano-
'heles, the matter is made even
more simple by the known fact that
is working hours are confined strict
y to the early evening and the /
light.
What's the remedy?
SCREENS. That's the solution,
nipple and safe and complete. The
My precaution to be added is that
he screens should not be put up as &
you were building chicken 4
ouse, full of holes and loose arouno I
he edges, They should be made lit J
rally mosquito-proof. At all the
'indows and outside doors and =
round the porch that is used as n <
tt!ng room in the evening. over the j
eds and at every place where the z
lsect may gain admission to the Z
ombers of the family The screen
a necessary part of the Florida :
ouse; no home in this state is safe i
comfortable without it. And 1, I
lould be constructed and fitted 10 I
$ place with as much care as the !
ont door or the windows in their y
,sings. 4
1t is the duty of the individual TO 2
old malaria. duty that each one y
YES to himself and TO the commrn- !
Z in which he Ifype