The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-12-11
WHY MOSCOW HOMES HAVE
NOT BEEN QUARANT|NED

There have been nine cases of in
fluenza reported so far this week, as
compared with IL cases reported for
all of last week The cases reported
to DR.. W. A. Adair, city health Of
ficer, are all in Moscow and not in
the university, where conditions are
very gratifying. The new cases re-
ported in town are mild and there
have been no serious cases for sew
eral days 1t had been feared there
would bea marked increase in the
number of new cases as a result of
the rally Friday night and the foot
ball game Saturday, but it is hoped
now that there will be but little
spread of the contageon as result
of those events as enough time has
elapsed to bring a showing if they
had resulted in spreading the disease
eff we get by today and tomorrow
with no large number of new cases
from those crowds we may begin to
breathe easier again." said DR.. Adafr.
Lewiston reports the lightest num-
ber of new cases In one day for the
past two weeks, yesterday, when IA
new cases were reported there. This
is larger than any weeks number
of new cases for several weeks and IS
equal to the largest number reported
in Moscow in single day during the
very worst part of the epidemic here.
Dr. Adair gave the following state
ment in reply to the articles in Tues
days Star Mirror as to why homes
where the disease is located are not
quarantined. His statement follows:
"There seems to be query in the
minds of many as to why the quar-
antine has been worked backwards
that is, why has the public been quar-
antined instead of the individual hav-
H. ,,,f1 hn n
small pox, scarlet fever, measles and
other contagious diseases. Smallpox
is we'll known disease, and vaccina-
tion, the best preventative known at
present. Most adults have been vac
cinated and are immune. When small
pox develops in schools, the health
boards Immediately require the vac
cination of those who have not been
vaccinated and certificate of success
withdrawal from school of those not
complying until the epidemic is over.
cit is not necessary to quarantine
public assemblages so strictly against
scarlet fever, measles etc, as they
are mostly diseases of childhood and
one attack makes the individual i'm
mune for the remainder of his life.
"Influenza is a crowd disease, one
attack does not, as rule, make one
immune 1Or more IndH SIX OI elSHI
weeks. 1t is comparatively new
disease, and no reliable preventative
has as yet been discovered. Conse-
quently crowds must be prohibited,
and the individual having the disease
should stay at home, as | have warned
before, and not allow others to enter
their homes until they have fully re-
covered The placard system seems
to have worked wonders at Great
Falls, but it should not have all the
credit for other measures that were
being enforced had as much to do
with the success.
Lewiston, Ida, has had the card
system from the beginning of the cpl
demic and has had four or five times
as many cases as Moscow. ] believe
if people would be honest and report
all cases, instead of hiding behind
the pretense of bad cold, or call a
physician and have him diagnose their
case, then the placard system would
help. If we have another
outbreak of the disease in Moscow
we will most likely try it here as they
are irving it in Spokane"