New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-19
MAY QUARANTINE
EXPOSED ADULTS
Many States Expected to
Adopt Paralysis Con-
ference's Plan.
TRAVEL RESTRICTION
is CALLED A FAILURE
Placing of Quarantines by
Towns and States
Condemned.

ing that unless measures OF suppress
sion are found. the infantile paralysis
epidemic may advance next summer to
states not now appreciably affected,
the National Conference Of Health Of
ficers adjourned to-day, after adopt
ing recommendations for control of
the plague and naming a standing COM
mittee to study its causes.
Cooperation among Federal, state
and local health authorities toward
curbing the epidemic was emphasized
as imperative in resolutions adopted.
and regulations were recommended to
control travel of children sixteen years
of age and under from epidemic zones,
by issuance of uniform travel permits.
As result of statements by sur
geons of the United States Public
Health Service that adults are I'M
doubtedly carriers of infantile paral-
ysis, a quarantine of all persons in
| households where the disease is found
was urgently recommended to-day by
the officials of State Health Depart
ments in conference here. Under the
proposed regulations adults may leave
infected premises only with permission
of a health officer and after the thor
ough disinfection of personal clothing.
While the recommendations have no
binding power upon health authorities,
il is expected they will be adopted in
the thirty-nine states represented at
the conference.
Determined efforts were made by
! II 80 H. o,-4,. L lo
to have adopted a recommendation that
adults travelling from infected areas
be required to carry health certificates,
but they were defeated.
Crticise New York Rules.
In the discussion of health certificate
re equations, several physicians declared
that. in their opinion, the rules in
force in New York were useless.
Several years ago. New York had an
| epidemic of infantile paralysis, during
which no restrictions on travel were
/ imposed, yet il wasn't nearly as serious
I outside New York as the present one"
4 said DR. W. S. Rankin, of North Caro-
| lima. people are rightly blaming
| health officers for no: stopping the
/ spread of the disease. II ! can't put
/ into effect measures worth something
] i
ter. I'll tell my people you don't know
anything about infantile paralysis and
/ can't do anything to stop II"
! Dr. F. l.. Hoffman, of the Prudential
/ Life Insurance Company, said much OF
4 the present regulation of travel is far
ccal. Senior Surgeon Charles f. Banks,
of the Federal Service, said he had
never thought the health certificate and
| identification card system would stop
| the spread of the disease.
/ The conference recommended that all
cases of infantile paralysis be confined
/ at least six weeks. 1t was urged that
whenever schools are closed because of
/ a paralysis epidemic, children under
/ sixteen be confined to their own prem
/ Uses.
State Guarantees Disapproyed.
The adopted report of the committee
on measures for the prevention of in.
/ terstate and intrastate spread of in
| fantile paralysis was largely an in
dorsement Of the regulations in force
in New York. 1t was declared forms
of notification and of health certifica-
ton should give the identification OF
/ each traveller under sixteen from an
| infected area, his destination. the loca-
ton of his usual residence and the rec
ord Of the premises as to freedom from
! poliomyelitis during the preceding
three months, or as to the latest date
of infection.
Certificates of private physicians
continues the report, will not alone be
a sufficient basis for the issue of
permit to travel. Permits for inter-
state travel will be based on medical
inspection.
Quarantine by one state against an
other state or quarantine BY one COM
munity against another community in
the same state is disapproved II is be-
/ Eeyed the Federal government, through
the United States Public Health Ser
vice, can perform all the duties of no.
tification and certifcaton required in
interstate relations in case of unusual
prevalence of the disease and that state
healthauthorities can perform like SER
vices between communities in the same
state.
"The collection of fees from appli-
cants for permits should not be per
mitted
During unusual prevalence of infan
tile paralysis schools should not be.
opened without thorough supervision
bv a health authority When schools
are opened, beginning should be made
, with high schools, proceeding to lower
age groups NJ more rapidly than com
piete medical examinations can be
made"
The providing Of information re-
garding other cases of illness in the
family of a paralysis victim was sp-
proved by the conference. II is be
1 iieved Standardization of such stalls
tics will be of great value in the study
/ of the epidemic's spread.
Speaking of the household quaran-
/ tine, Assistant Surgeon General W. {.
Rucker said: ave must admit that
/ in the combat against infsntile
paralvsis we do not have a weapon of
precision. We have admitted to the
/ general public our knowledge of the
| disease is not great. | think we will
not be criticised for taking more
stringent methods in the home than
! in the restriction Of travel. In the
home there is a small group of per
sons who have been EXPOSED TO the
disease. Those, at least, we can con-
troll"
Railroad medical representatives at
the conference declared their compa-
MES were having difficulty in deter
mining when TO require health certh-
Gates from travellers. 1t was decided
10 hold a conference of railroad ply
sicians and Federal officials soon.
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