The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-11-04
WEEKLY LETTER FROM
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH

Ni Nbllo " llllhA'N z st A'A'l l''''r-
Der when whoopng cough was looked
up as something that had 20 re en-
Cured in neigh5orhoods each fall and
winter as a part of the rouGrr of
daily life Children "whooped" unul
the disease ran its course o. they
died of it, though usually death was
attributed to some other disease. Tn
fortunately, physicians, IS we'll as
parents, in those days regarded
wbooping cough as a mild disease, not
! greatly to be feared.
If the public were convinced that
whooping cough causes more deaths
annually than does scarlet fever,
much greater precautiun would be tax
en- in families and by the public
health officers to prevent the spread
of whooping cough, 1t is fact, nev-
/ ertheless, that whooping cough does
does cause more deaths than scarlet
! fever though an outbreak Of scarlet fe'
yer quickly frightens whole communi-
ties into active campaigns for its
speedy control, while slight attention
is given to whooping cough.
Parents should know that if their
children are susceptible to whooping
cough, nothing can be done to pre-
vent their taking il, except keeping
them away from persons who have the
disease Whooping cough will spread
just as certainly as an infected per
son mingles with those who have not
had it.
Whooping cough is an infectious
disease, due to germ, and varies
from Gear to year in the severity OF
its attacks, being milder or more ma
lignant for reasons that are not fully
understood at this time. The germ
usually is transmitted by direct con
tact, and only very short exposure
is necessary for infection. Though
infectious at the very moment the
first symptoms appear, whooping
cough is most infectious during the
first two weeks of its progress
1t S possible practically to prevent
the spread o. the infection by care
fully destroying the sputum and secre-
tons from the mouth and nose. These
discharges should be controlled with
cloths, and the latter promptly burn
ed or soaked in a five per cent So
luton Of carbolic acid for several
hours and then thoroughly boiled
But no chances are taken if the cloths
are promptly burned 1t is not be
lieved that the germ of whooping
cough is transmitted through the air,
except as It may arise from dry spu-
tum and dust The germs incubate
or hatch in from one to two weeks.
Whooping cough is more severe in
cold than in warm climates. Children
who play outdoors are less likely to
contract the disease than those who
live crowded together. Most persons
have whooping cough some time dur
ing their life. Infants under six
months of age are less susceptible
than older children. Girls are more
susceptible than boys. Whoopins
cough occurs oftenest among children
between the ages of six months and
two years. The disease is more eas
lily contracted by children below the
average standard of health, or whose
powers Of resistance have been wea.
kened by their having had other in
fectious diseases. The paroyysms OF
coughing are more severe in nervous
children than in others. Accordingly
children deprived of some & their
natural senses. such as the deaf the
dumb, or the blind. usually have the
disease in a mild form.
There are many complications Of
whooping cough, due usually to the
poison that the infection carries into
the system. but in part to the severe
coughing Hemorrhage is an i'm
portant complication, and is probably
caused by both the poison and the
coughing. Bronchitis is always pres
ent in wh0oping cough. Nine-tenths
of the death from whooping cough |
are the result Of broncho-pneumonia