The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-06
HEALTH SERVICE BEGINS CRUSADE AGAINST MALARIA Most Extensive Campaign Ever Undertaken in Unit
 ed States Planned. PROTECT SOLDIERS IN THE ENVIRONMENTS Eradication of Mosquitoes Around Southern Camps
 to Be Attempted.

Washington, May 4-The public health service has just begun the most extensive anti-malaria campaign ever undertaken in the United States with view to protection of the health of the soldiers in the South ern cantonments. Congress has au- thorized this crusade and provided the funds and. it is expected that $400,00O will have been spent by Un- cle Sam in this work by July 1, 1919. This is exclusive of the government S part in the cooperative health work now being carried on in the vicinity of these cantonments by the public health service, the American Red Cross and the local health authorities.
 Because malaria is conveyed only by the bite of a certain mosquito which flies only a short distance from it's breeding place, the eradication of the mosquito will be undertaken in zones two miles wide around each camp likely to have malaria. Breed ing and hiding places will be ditched, drained and cleared, undrainable still water in which the mosquitoes breed will be oiled and minnows will be installed to eat the mosquito lar vac off the top of the water. Even dynamite will be resorted to in this nation wide health campaign, to eli minate dangerous breeding places and the work supplemented by use of quinine for preventive and curative purposes.
 Cooperation of the state and local authorities and of the people in each place is expected. Posters will be put U2 in the post offices, railroad stations and other places in the South. Previous operations of the federal health service against the mosquitoes have been enthusiastically received by the people in each place affected, because of the results in the reduc- tion of malaria and eradication of the mosquitoes. For years tn public mosquitoes. For years the public practicable means for preventing ma laria and demonstrations have been l conducted in many places in the l South.
 In the building of the Panama Ca. nal one of the greatest difficulties encountered was the presence o1 swarms of mosquitoes, which convey ed yellow fever and malaria to the workmen. The engineer largely re sponsible for the success in the cam paign against yellow fever mosquitoe! in the canal zone will supervise thi! anti-malaria campaign and associated with him will be an officer of th' public health service widely recogniz ed as one of the foremost authori ties in the United States on mosqui to-borne diseases. Under them vii be experienced officers of that. ser vice and sanitary engineers, alon, with a large force of laborers ant large equipment.
 l Malaria is one of the most seri ous diseases in certain sections of tn country. During certain season more than ninety per cent of all call made by physicians in many district in the United States aref or malaria It is one of the greatest health prob
 lems now, not only so far as the sol
 diers are concerned but also becaus
 of the necessity to produce a maxi
 mum of food and other supplies re lated to the war. The efficiency o
 the laborer in the South, according t
 public health service officials, ha
 been markedly reduced by the dis
 ease. These experts say that the an
 ti-malaria campaign will reduce ma
 laria generally and stimulate simila
 work by local health authorities.