The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1915-04-09
MEASLES PREVALENT IN IDAHO
Official News From the State Board Of
Health.

The person who knows, looks upon
measles with fear in his heart, and
well he may
Persons who don't know, and their
name is legion, go laundering on in
their careless, unthinking, Indifferent
way and daily our children are paying
the price in precious lives.
To the health officer alive to the
facts and awake to his responsibilities
there is nothing more perplexing and
little that appears to be more in need
of correction than the present day al
most universal indifference to meas
les
AS a destroyer of child life measles
holds position very close to the top
of the list. In Idaho in 1918, upwards
of ten times as many little graves
were dug on account of this disease
as We're dug on account of that ter
ribly dreaded disease, smallpox, and
smallpox was quite prevalent through
out the state, too, some SS4 cases be-
ing reported 1t is very doubtful
whether these reported deaths repre-
sent even small percentage of those
actually due to measles as many of
these deaths are reported to be due to
pneumonia
In Idaho at the present time there
are thousands of cases of measles and
numbers of deaths are occurring.
The widespread prevalence of the
disease is in largest measure due to
improper handling of the cases, to the
looseness of quarantine, and is in di-
rect proportion to the ignorance, care
lessness, indifference or lawlessness
Of parents and attendants.
Measles is wholly unnecessary dis
ease and no one should have it. To
wilfully expose child to it is nothing
short of criminal and to permit
child to go about spreading the in
| lection among other children is, in
deed, quite as serious an offepse
4 Hc cSSlOu vi UtdSltS Is d lttdt-
ter of strict isolation of the infection
bearer.
The state board of health, believ-
| ing that the time has arrived to clamp
down the lid on measles, has recently
| formulated and promulgated rules of
quarantine for measles which must be
observed throughout the state of Ida
no.
The new state rules governing meas
les, briefly stated, are as follows:
/. All cases of measles must be
Immediately reported to the local
health authorities
| q. The front and rear entrances of
the premises must be placarded with
a red warning card.
3. The patient must be isolated for
at least Ia days after the beginning of
the disease, or until all infections dis
charges have ceased. Visitors are pro-
hibited. Susceptible children of the
family must be confined to the prem
ises, but may be permitted the free
/ dom of an enclosed yard in which
/ they do not come in contact with 9TH
er children
a. The patient must be excluded
from the schools and places of public
gathering for at least three weeks
from the onset of the disease. Sus-
ceptible children of the family must
be excluded for at least Is days from
; date of last exposure
5. The sale of milk and food stuffs
from infected premises is prohibited
6. Before isolation is raised the pa
tient must be given disinfecting bath
and complete change of clothing
must be made.
Z. Public funerals prohibited How
ever, adults and non-susceptible chill
dren may follow the remains to the
grave provided they do not enter the
carriages occupied by persons who
have been in the infected building.