Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-10-23
FLU QUARANTINE
IN STATE NOW
All Public Gatherings are Prohibited
by State Board of Health for an
Indefinite Period
HAVE BEEN 26,5O2
CASES IN STATE
Were Good Many Cases IN Decorah
But the Situation Seems Now to
be Improving Right Along

This community had quite a num-
Der of cases, but we understand the
situation is getting we'll in hand now,
and new cases are not as numerous
as they were, and great many have
tentirely recovered.
/ great many of our people have
been administered a dose of vaccine
the past few days. 1t is injected in
to the arm. DR.. Thomas administer.
ed it to about $50 people since last
Saturday, but the supply has run out.
Saturday Mayor Hook sent a tele-
gram to the hospital at Rochester
for 1000 doses to be sent to Wang
ler's drug store. This morning Mr..
Wangler received telegram stating.
that the supply of prophystic vaccine
was entirely inadequate to meet de-
mands, but they were preparing
large Quantity and would forward a
supply just as soon as possible.
The doctors all over the county
have been administering it, and it is
said to be great preventive.
A statewide quarantine, prohib-
itnig all public gatherings of any
nature within the state of Iowa for
an indefinite period, was ordered
by DR.. Guilford H. Sumner, secre-
ltary Of the state board of health,
last Thursday afternoon. The order
i became effective Immediately upon
issuance and will continue operative
until such time as the abatement OF
the influenza epidemic may cause its
cancellation.
The order reads as follows:
iowa State Board of Health,
Des Moines, Ia, Oct. 17,t1913.
4 ITO Mayors, Health Officers and
\ Local Boards Of Health:
"You are directed and hereby
ordered this day to have all public
community forbidden. All theatres,
ischools, churches, movies, lodge
rooms and everything that brings
people together in numbers, and
this includes public funerals, must be
closed.
This order is for an indefinite
period and will continue until such
"a time as it shall be deemed adj
visable to release this order This
order is imperative and must be
executed at once. Travel is not to
be abandoned, but people must use
reason in such matters. This order
also supersedes all other orders
which have been issued from the
Istate board of health either by
phone, telegraph or otherwise. Lo-
cal boards of health are requested
to make orders in accordance with
the above.
"Guilford III. Sumner, Nj. D.,
Secretary Executive officer,
Iowa State Board of Health"
After having twice telegraphed
Surgeon General Rupert Blue Of
the United States public health ser
vice, for his opinion regarding the
advisability of statewide quaran-
tine as a means of combating the
Ispread of Spanish influenza, DR.. Sum-
ner received reply, reading as fol-
lows:
Will Reduce Infection.
Washington, ID. c., Oct. II, 1918.
Board of Health, Des Moines, la.
Believe it is wise to prevent all
public gatherings insofar as possi-
, BILE. Service recommended closing
, of theatres, schools and churches.
This being done in many states and
is in effect in city of Washington.
Believe these measures reduce the
number of infections.
Blue"
Immediately upon receipt of this
communication, DR.. Sumner drafted
his order, copies of which were
, mailed ito mayors and health officers
throughout the state as soon as the
, form had been approved by the
attorney general.
"My action has the approval OF
! broad minded persons all over the
, state" said Dr. Sumner, THE situa-
tion is acute in the extreme, and 1T
!, would be inexcusable TO allow sordid
commercial considerations to inter-
!. fere with any measure which Will
: Ihelp to uuell the epidemic and save
iife."
All Speeches Cancelled.
The scarcity of physicians in
many localities, owing to the tact
that SO many have entered military
service, has caused acute SuHerinS
in several towns where the influenza
epidemic has been particularly
severe.
Spirit Lake, Ia, reported to the
board of health that their only
physician was included among the
lfifty influenza victims there, While
lat Millersburg no doctor could be
found to care for 400 flu patients
until one was obtained from a neigh
boring town.
AS result of the statewide quar-
lantine Gov. w. l.. Harding who
had planned to deliver speech at
lsome Iowa town each day until the
lclose of the governorship CAM
y ylpaign, has had to cancel his timer
airy.