Imperial Valley press., 1916-04-03
TYPHOID FEVER ALMOST
BANISHED FROM STATE

Sacramento, April Typhoid fe-
yer will soon be one of the least i'm
portant diseases in California, accord
ing to an announcement made today
by DR.. w. A. Sawyer, secretary Of the
state board of health. The reduction
in the mortality for this disease du-
ring the past year is unprecedented,
the rate having dropped to 81 per
100000 population, placing California
in the front ranks of the states that
are successfully combating the disease.
In fact, according to the United States
census, there were but five states in
1918 having typhoid mortality rates
as low as 10 per 100000 population.
Since 1906, when the rate was 1922
per 100000 population, there has been
a reduction of 70 per cent in the ty-
phoid mortality rate in California.
This means that 3,193 deaths and
more than 10000 cases of the disease
have been prevented. There were but
276 deaths from the disease in the
whole state during 1915, while there
were 376 deaths from the disease in
1914, the decrease in the rate for the
single year amounting to 20 per cent.
Last year the California State
Board of Health announced that it
aimed to reduce the typhoid rate to SO
per 100000 by 1918, three years hence.
Its expectations have been tremen-
dously exceeded, however, by almost
reaching that goal in a single year.
Estimating the cost of each case of
typhoid fever at $500, including loss
of wages, doctors, nurses and hospi-
tai bills, etc., the prevention of 30,-
900 cases represents saving of no
less than $15,OOO,OOO to the people of
the state during the past nine years.
Each case of typhoid fever causes on
the average one month of sickness. On
this basis, the prevention of 10000
cases has prevented $500 years of suf-
fering.
The number of cases of typhoid pre-
vented during these years would rep
resent number equivalent to the
population of city like San Jose,
Stockton, Fresno or Pasadena, accord
ing to the figures of the last United
States census. The number of deaths
prevented would represent a number
equivalent to the population of a city
the size of Merced, Ventura, Orange
or Woodland, according to the census.
The Inconvenience and suffering pre-
vented cannot be estimated through
any computation involving figures rep
resenting money values. Such suf-
fering can only be understood by per-
sons who have spent many long hours
of pain and weary days of GONZALES
cence from the disease. Nor can the
after effects, which are often more
disastrous to the future health of the
individual, be reckoned with in any
statistics.
These results in the prevention of
he disease have been accomplished
largely through the state supervision
of water supplies and sewage dispo-
sal, inspection of summer resorts, su-
pervision of milk and food supplies
distribution of typhoid vaccine, inves-
tigation of typhoid outbreaks and the
control of typhoid patients and car.
riers.
With the good showing already
m ,de, the State Board of Health in.
tends to increase its efforts to pre-
vent still more cases of the disease
BY continuing this work with re-
doubled effort, even greater result.
can be obtained. In fact, if the sam,
preventive measures are applies will
as great energy as during the pas
year, California will lead all of tn,
states in typhoid control by 1918.