The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-12-07
STATE BOARD OF
HEALTH RENEWS
ITS FLU WARNING
Kentucky Health Board Renews Influ-
enza Warnlng-VRcelne Offered
Free For Prevention Of
Disease.

Early in October, before the full i'm
port of the danger from influenza was
grasped by the people, and well in ad-
vance of such action in most other
states, churches, schools and all 9TH
er places of public assembly were
rigidly closed, and, with the aid of the
public press, the State was flooded
with warning and advisory literature,
with the result that, in sptte of the
hardships inseparable from such dras-
tic measures vitality affecting the most
treasured customs and privileges of
every community and home, there was
such universal and helpfur co-opera-
ton from the clergy, the teachers, wo
mans clubs and the rank and file of
the people, as to greatly restrict the
spread of the disease, except in GER
tain mining and other sections and
homes where the housing conditions
made it impossible to secure proper
ventilation and prevent over-crowd-
ing, associated, as such conditions al
ways are, with lack of nourishment,
nursing and medical attention, and
with the high death rate incident to
any kind of sickness of people so sit
uated.
In response to urgent calls of dis
tress, mainly from such sections,
within four weeks this board, the U. S.
Public Health Service, the Kentucky
Red Cross and the State Council of
Defense, meeting weekly, and utiliz-
ing their respective auxiliary organi-
cations in every county and commun-
ity in collecting information and ex-
tending help, 90 physicians and 215
nurses and Sisters of Charity were
sent to do relief, often under difficult
ties and living conditions easier to
imagine than describe. Except in such
sections and in some of the wealthiest
counties. where shortsighted, niggard-
ly Fiscal Courts have always forced
doctors to carry on health work at
their own expense, or leave it undone,
the epidemic was soon under such
measurable control that it was
thought safe to remove or greatly lib
eralize the quarantine restrictions
from the jurisdictions first attached
which had good health organizations,
until this has now been done in nearly
all cities and in about two-thirds OF
the counties.
Everything went well for few
days when, following the peace cele-
brations and similar festivities, dur
ing which all precautions and safe
guards were thrown to the winds,
notable increase of new cases, for
tunately of milder type, was report
ed almost everywhere, until in many
counties the disease again assumed
such an epidemic form that demands
were constantly received for a renew
al of the restrictions, the localauthor-
tiles often imposing them without
waiting for advice. Except in few
instances this Board has insisted that,
as the more violent and fatal stage
of this epidemic has passed, individual
cases and families be more rigidly
isolated than in the past without again
closing churches and schools and that
ministers, teachers, the press, and all
other leaders of public opinion be en-
listed in the education of the people
in the recognized methods of its pre-
away from crowds and places where it
is likely to exist
Within the last few days such in
sistent representations came in from
Louisville that the disease had again
reached such epidemic proportions
as to require action by this Board, its
officers on last Wednesday afternoon
called conference of leading gener-
al practitioners of that city in order to
get reliable, first-hand information.
1t was the unanimous opinion of these
gentlemen that, while the disease was
far milder and, differed from the ear
lier stage of the epidemic in that 1t at
tackled children more frequently than
adults, II was far more prevalent and
widely distributed than at any prev
ious time, and without a dissenting
voice they recommended that all re-
strictions be re-imposed, several OF
them asserting that they were advis-
ing all families under their care to
keep the children out OF school and
that both the children and parents
stay away from all public gatherings
until the danger was over,
Immediately upon the simultaneous
perfection OF the vaccine for the pre-
yention Of Influenza and its fatal com
plioatIons, by the laboratories OF the
Rockefeller Institute, the Mayo Clinic
and several private manufacturers, a
few weeks ago, aud its approval by
the Surgeon General OF the Army and
other proper puthorltion, this Hoard
hesan earnest effort 10 secure II In
quantities. but, on account oi prefer