Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-07
QUARANTINE rule
GREATLY M0D!FI led
Age Limit of Children Coming
Into State Reduced From
Sixteen to Twelve.
HELP TO BOARDING SCHOOL S
State Health Commissioners Will
liams Discusses Prevention of
1nfantile Paralysis.

idiIiS discusses prevention OF
Infantile Paralysis.
Following conference yesterday
between State Health Commissioner
Williams and DR.. W. NJ Smith of
Alexandria. president of the State
Board of Health. an order was entered,
hF Commissioner Williams in the fol-
lowing language:
Careful analysis of complete re-
turns for infantile paralysis having
( shown that 81 per cent of cases i'm
virginia ar" under twelve years. stat.
Quarantine against infantile paralysis
/ is lowered I" that ae" after 1901 a
NJ. October s. Special cases will he
J '"hsid"r"d on their merits. Thus far.
virginia has had less PARALYSIS than
any stat" on tn" Atlantic seaboard
W" attribute this to quarantine If
'h" d'scas" continues to spread in
Massachusetts, and Maryland. Virginia
may be compelled to quarantine chill
nf'n under twelve from these States"
hn"r IN" quarantine order entered
by tn" state board on August oG. Vir-
e'nia MAS Internationally closed to
children under sixteen years coming
from New York, New Jersey and Penn
was in tn" case OF Virginia children re-
turning L. their homes. who. it was
provided. had TO be quaran,incd for
tw" weeks after their return.
AGE LIMIT Is REDUCED
FROM SlNTEEN TO TWELVE
The quarantine regulation remains
( as II was before, with two important
changes. Instead OF sixteen. twelve
children from tho prescribed States
VIII be barred. and modification
leaves room for a suspension OF even
'his limitation in special cases. to be
considered on their merits The new
order goes into effect Tomorrow night
on" minute after midnight
In tho past few days complaints have
been registered by owners of boarding
and preparatory schools against the
hardships imposed on them by tho
stringent order OF August % Many of
them draw large patronage from the
/ prescribed States. and the quarantine
mad III" effect of reducing the ATTEND
ancc, since many OF the pupils were
under sixteen, years Of ac"
The state Health Department gave
serious attention TO these and similnr
/ complaints, but withheld action until
AN amendment Of the quarantine could
b" accomplished without danccr. The
modified regulation will allow much
NOR" freedom nf movement. and will
7 practically cur" the disability COM
. p!ain"d of hv the schools
DANGER Now THREATENS
FROM STATE or MARYIAND
While the infan,iic PARALYSIS si,u,-
lion in New York is becoming less
alarming. the Virginia authorities ar.
seriously impressed with the danger
threatened from Maryland, where the
disease "...cars ia be spreading
Connecticut and massachusetts ar.
h"ihS caught in the epidemic circle
that appears to be radiating conccn-
tri"aily from New York City. should
I'll" situation in thes. States grow
markedly worse. Virginia, il was
stated. Will be compelled To enlarge its
quarantine 10 include them
We want 10 avoid quarantininC
against Maryland if possible" said
pr. Williams yesterday. "a, present
the situation there does not appear to
warrant such step, and cold weather
may render IL altogether unnecessary
The city of Baltimore to-day has
'"ehtF-two eases under treatment.
and We are watching DEVELOPMENTS
there closely
There is no justification for less
cnin" our precautions, because the sit
uation in New York has improved AS
! said before, the infection seems 70
he travelling in widening circles from
that city as a center Northward it
has crossed Connecticut entered Mas
sachusctts ana is threatening Roston.
SOuthward ii has progressed through
me New Jersey cities. Philadelphia
ana Baltimore. Logically, Richmond is
the next focus of Infection. We hope
10 prevent that. and the only way 10
do IL is 10 maintain our vigilance"
Fit'ri-I>NO CASES IN
VIRGINIA IN SEPTEMBER
only in the last two months has the
/ poliomyclitis record in Virginia been
more alarming than the record of
previous years. The earlier months
followed closely the annual average.
J In August, however. thirty-fvc cases
were reported as against twelve cases
/ for August. 1915. and in September
hfty-two cases. as against fifteen cases
! for September. 1915.
lnfantile paralysis statistics for Nir-
Einia covering July, August and Sep
| tcmber show that $40 per cent Of the
cases were white and only 1913 per
cent coiorcu. VI the patients, 5iZ per
cent were male and I6.S per cent fe-
male.
The age limit of the patients during
this thrcc-month period was fifteen.
More than gS per cent were under
| fourteen years old and ?Ii per cent
were under eleven. Children under
ten years old formed 96.2 per cent of
the total number of cases; under nine
\ wears g2.5 ppr cent. under eight
| per cent; under seven, S1.4 per cent;
under six, S2.3 per cent. under five,
! 77.3 per cent: under four. Gi.7 per cent;
| under three. 49.5 per cent: under two.
36.9 per cent and under one year. 2l.5
| per cent.
| school. Ar MONROE CLOSED ,