Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-08-31
CONTROL OF INFAN-
TILE PARALYSIS
Bulletin Issued by State Health De-
partment.

discharges of those who have the
disease, or who are carriers of the
germ without themselves being sick.
Ii this germ can be prevented from
passing from the infected to the we'll
person, the disease will cease. 1t is
probably spread directly or Indirectly,
through the medium of infective Sc
cretions. Account must therefore be
taken by. communities of every means
of which such secretions are dissent
mated Promiscuous expectoration
should be controlled The common
drinking cup affords a. method for the
interchange of material of this ma
ture and should therefore be abolish
ed. Rigid cleanliness of glasses and
utensils at soda fountains, in saloons
and other public places should be
enforced. Flies, reaches and other
vermin, by coming in contact with in
fective secretions, may possibly con-
vey them to our, food and thus direct
ly bring about the development of
disease. Therefore eliminate insects.
Street and house dust hear definite
relation to the spread of many infec-
tions it is not unreasonable ia pre-
sumo that they may be a factor in
the dissemination of infantile paraly-
sis. Maintain strict cleanliness of
streets, yards and alleys in order to
prevent the breeding of insects and
other vermin. See that all garbage
and waste are properly cared for and
collected at regular and frequent in
tervals. Guard all food supplies, es-
pecially milk and other perishable
products. Digestive troubles of chill
dren arising from the Indigestion of
food of questionable quality may low
err resistance. Assemblies of children
in infected localities are to be dis
4 couraged, if not actually forbidden.
While the above measures are in
sense general, and applicable to many
epidemic diseases, their Importance
should not be overlooked.
Individual preventive measures may
be thus summarized:
physician should be summoned at
once and the health officer be mmedi-
ately notified of the presence of the
disease. If the disease is present in
the community, medical aid should be
sought whenever a child is sick no
matter how light the illness; many
cases of infantile paralysis begin with
a slight indisposition. Should the
illness prove to be infantile paraly-
sis, isolate the patient, place com
petent person in charge, and reduce
all communication with the sick room
ferable, not only for the child but in
order to better safeguard against the
spread of the disease The sick room
should be we'll ventilated and screened
Nasal and mouth secretions should be
received in cloths, placed in a paper
bag, and burned The clothing Of the
child, the bed linen, and the excre-
tons should be disinfected in the same
manner as for typhoid fever, that is
by boiling, the long continued applica-
ton of 5 per cent carbolic, or other
well recognized disinfectant The
same is true for dishes and drinking
vessels. Nurses should exercise the
same precautions as regards cleanli-
ness of hands in caring for infantile
as.elx re- oH1 a.
ed with other infectious diseases.
A child may convey the disease to
sothers even after a lapse of several
weeks. For this reason quarantine
should be maintained for consider
able period, usually from six to eight
weeks, and the above precautions
should be adhered to during this time.
Distinction of the room following
recovery is advisable.
H A recent conference of national and
state health officials held in Washing
ton disapproved of quarantine of one
state or community against another.
Health officers of the state are ad-
vised as follows:
/. For the convenience of travellers
issue permits to all children under
sixteen who are leaving the state.
2. As far as possible health officers
should meet all trains coming from
infected places, and persons under
sixteen should be located in their
homes and be kept under observation
for two weeks.
3. All cases of infantile paralysis
should be reported to the local and
also the state health authority imme-
diately on diagnosis.
A. In case of death, burial should
be prompt and strictly private.
5. In towns where the disease. pre-
walls, all assemblages of children
should be forbidden.
6 T. JEPSON M n