The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-09
Advice on Guarding
ASainSt Malaria
by DIR. a. II. Lewis, Commissioner,
State Board of Health

1t has been well established that ma.
laria Is caused by the bite of certain
/ species of mosquio. While this mos
quito is not active In winter, IL begins
/ its troublemaltng career as soon as the
warm spring days set in and it is well
TO prepare ahead Of time against this
source of danger In order to have
malaria three factors are necessary;
First, human beings; second. female
mosquitoes Of the variety known as
Anopheles; and third malaria microbes.
The only way to get malaria is through
the bites of these mosquitoes. The
mosquitoes act as carriers for the mala-
rial microbe, siphoning it in from the
person who has the microbe in his
blood and injecting it into some other
individual not previously infected. The
voracious mosquitoes that bite us in the
daytime are not of the variety that are
able TO carry malaria. on the contrary
Anophclos mosquito is shy and rare
~ bites any person who Is moving
about She is apt to bite in the night
time when one is asleep Furthermore
She does not sing as loudly as the
common mosquito.
Practical Measures
These are several practical methods
for greatly reducing and even elimi- |
Mating malaria. They are as follows. |
First, by getting rid Of the Anopheles |
mosquito; second, by keeping these
mosquitoes away from well people as the |
cannot bite them; third, by givins |
quinne to persons suffering from ma
laria SO that the mosquitoes which hap
pen to bite such persons will not take
on account Of the fact that
they have been poisoned by the quinine;
and fourth, by protecting healthy peo.
pie so that even if bitten by mosqui-
toes which carry the microbes of ma
laria, they will not develop the disease
This is accomplished by giving quin.ne
in small quantities.
In communities where malaria is pre-
yalent and where it is difficult, if not
impossible, to absolutely protect one
self from being bitten, healthy people
generally can protect themselves by the
simple method of using quinine, small
loses taken during the malarial sea
son being effective. -Four or five grains
lf quinine every day is, ordinarily,
enough to protect. 1t is best taken
after meals, if in a single dose, or in
livided doses. Children should be
riven about half as much as adults and
small children even less.
OF course the ideal method for per
nanently abolishing malaria would be
0 make it impossible for for the Ano
,heleS mosquito to breed. This, how
YER may be expensive; in some com
nunities an almost impossible PROPOSE
ion Nevertheless practical measures
T value can be taken, generally without
reat expense or effort The Anophe
IS mosquito breeds in still water and
" the grassy edges of running water.
'ools and marshes should be drained or
HE'D up, and where this is not pos
ible the use of oil well tend to reduc-
he number of mosquitoes. Often ponds
hich can neither be drained nor oiled
an be made innocuous by the intro :
Iction of small fish, which devour the \
losquito larvae Empty barrels, cans
nd other receptacles for stagnant water
lould be avoided Houses where ma
rial mosquitoes abound should be
.reened with great care good screen 4