Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-02-07
If a Community Would Con-
troll Disease No Individual,
Parent, Teacher, Doctor or
Officer Should Violate
Quarantine Law.

epidemic of measles or whooping
cough, but it is an easy matter
for a community to prevent such
a calamity. For instance, a few
weeks ago, in a thriving rural
community in this State, a ply
sician was called to see a sick
child. He said that the child
most likely had whooping' cough.
But for two weeks he never came
nor inquired to know for sure,
and what is worse, he never re-
ported it to the county quaran-
tine officer. Meanwhile, other
children in the same family con-
tracted the disease and continued
to go to school. The result is,
there are twenty cases of whoop-
ing cough in the neighborhood,
one baby death has occurred,a and
the school has been closed for a
period of four weeks or longer.
Now this epidemic that caused
a needless death and much sick
ness that could have been pre-
vented, to say nothing of the
time and money lost by closing
the school, probably would not
have happened had that physi-
clan reported that first case to
the county quarantine officer.
That was the doctors duty as
prescribed by the State Quaran-
tine law. It would have been
the duty of the quarantine officer
to have had the house placarded
and the sick child quarantined,
also those in the house who had
not had whooping cough. This
would have prevented the infec-
ton spreading to the school and
through the school to the COM
munity. He also would have
given the parents the proper
instructions for dealing with the
sick child, and other members of
the family, and for keeping the
disease from spreading. To
have observed these rules would
have been the family's duty. The
neighbors would have been given
a fair chance, by knowing that
the disease existed in the COM
munity, to have protected them
selves and their families from
disease. To have done this
would have been the neighborS'
duty.
The point to this story is that
as important as it was for the
doctor to have done his duty in
complying with the State Quar-
antine Law, just so important is
it that every individual in any
community shall do his duty by
the same law. Parents, doctors,
teachers and the quarantine
officer have an equal share in
making the quarantine law effect
i've. A violation on the part Of
one defeats the whole purpose of
the law. In other words, to con.
troll the spread of whooping
cough, measles or any other com
municable disease in a commun-
|ity requires the cooperation OF
everybody in that community.
The first duty of every indi.
vidual is to report at once any
case of contagious disease to
the county quarantine officer. In
no other way is he to know
where disease exists. He will
then give you the further needed
instructions which every honest,
law-abiding citizen will be glad
to follow. These instructions
are the only safeguards known
for protecting the health of your
own family and that of your
neighbor's. You are fortunate in
that you live in a State where
the best methods known have
been provided to protect your
children from unnecessary dis
ease.
Cases of communicable dis
eases reported to me last month
were eight, as follows:
Whooping Coughs. E. Tut
or's child, Oscar OBrien's child
Roberdel, Francis Reynolds, El
lerbe.
Scarlet Fever -Ruthe Jones
Hamlet, N. c.
Measles Mertie Ewing ant
Monta Vow, Ellerbe, J. H. Nc
Call, Hamlet, and Birdie Terree
Norman.
]. M. MANESS,
County Quarantine Officer
rrr At n s