Arizona republican., 1915-01-08

/ Eases remaining November 30,
1914:
! Typhoid fever Observation-Disclosures
| Smallpox OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. q
Scarlet fever Observation-Disclosures
| Diphtheria .................... /
measles %..'...-...-.....-.....
! Reported December l 10 81. in
elusive:
Typhoid fever .-...-..............4
! Smallpox ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Measles ................ .
Scarlet fever Observation-Disclosures.
! i)lphtheria Observation-Disclosures. ..... ,
| Epidemic cerebro-sp spinal meningitis l
! tDied)
Acute anterior poliomyelitis 80. /
I Released from quarantine Deem
! her l 10 December 81:
Scarlet fever s....................
Diphtheria ..--.-..--..-.- :
Measles .....-.-.-.-........ ....... /
Cases remaining December 81:
| Scarlet fever Observation-Disclosures. 6
measles -.,...---.----.--- $3.50. o
! Smallpox NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Diphtheria
The first diphtheria case reported
had not come into even remote con-
tact with any of the previously re-
| ported cases or suspects The case
remaining December l. was released
| on the 18th after obtaining two sue
cessive negative cultures from each
member of the family Every mem
| her of this family was Il carrier at
some time during the period of TAX
ing cultures Several cultures from
suspected cases have been examined
with negative results Two cases
| which We're seen personally with the
attending physicians resembled elm
icallY diphtheria 50 closely that only
a culture could differentiate them
! In one case antitoXin was admins
tered. fearing to postpone it until II
culture could he examined.
The second case was probably con-
| tracted from an unrecognized ease
out of town AT least there is a
definite history Of contact within
the incubation period. with case of
sore throat There is also Il history
Of contact with a case reported in
November though as two negative
cultures We're obtained from this
case prior to release infection from
that source seems less probable.
The scarlet fever. which has been
reported is entirely distinct from the
November cases. 1t seems to have
started in the Garfield school The
first reported case attended that
school. The second case attended
the Monroe school. but a sister
Cease y attended, the Garfield school
and was in the same grade as case
/. She gave a definite history of
sore throat. ct cetera, about Deem
Der ., and was scaling slightly when
seen. The school physician, DR. e.
b. Palmer and | Investigated this
school and examined the children in
the grade from which the case came
We found no additional cases, al
though one child who had since left
town had been out of scheol on ac-
/ count of what WAS supposed to have
been tonsilitis. 1t is quite possible
that this was the starting point of
the cases we now have Case 1 was
in the same assembly at school as
case 3, though there is no history
of definite contact. Case gave a
definite history of school contact
with case > Case 6 it seems prob
able received the infection through
a case living Just outside the city
limits Both attended the high
school The case outside the city
To summarize an unrecogniZed
CmissedD case, supposed to be ton
silitis, infected cases ! and 8 Case
3 (aso a missed case) infected case
- and a case outside the city and
through them the remainder The
lesson from this epidemic seems to
be that without great intelligence on
the part of the public we cannot
hope to control such diseases. TheI
school authorities endeavor to have
an children showing any signs of
Illness examined by the school ply
stefan. If afflicted with a contagious
disease. or if a reasonable suspicion
of its contagious character is sus-
pected, they are excluded from school
pending a definite diagnosis or until
they are free from danger. How
ever, unless every teacher is alive
to the danger that there may be in
a sore throat of any kind. school
control will have q weak link in the
chain. The same may be said Of
parents If instead of a homemade
diagnosis of tonsilitis. the missed
cases mentioned had been referred
TO the family physician or school
physician. it is probable that from
four to seven cases would have been
prevented.
Case :, which has not yet been
mentioned. occurred in IL young
adult. and the source of infection is
a mystery. II can only be surmised
that he somehow came in contact