Republican farmer., 1919-11-21
DIPHTHERIA APT 10 BEPREvALENT COMING WINTER pr. Reeks Calls Attention to Fact That Grave Danger
 Impends. SHOULD ATTEMPT
 TO STOP EPIDEMIC Active Measures Should Be
 Taken to Check
 Contagion.
Notes and Comment.

(By T. Eben Reeks, MD, Director Bureau of Preventable Diseases) Will it be necessary for diphtherfa l to reach the proportions of an cpl ] denic before sufficient interest and | effort can be stimulated to control 1t ! | There is danger, very real danger, l that this scourge of childhood may ! be more prevalent during the coming winter than ever before in the history ! of the state. An examination of the morbidity records for the past ten
 year shows that more cases were re- ! ported during last October than in i any other month of the ten-year period. | These facts ought to be sufficient to be sufficient to convince every com
 munity that very active measures | must be taken immediately to check | the spread of the contagion. The 1 centers of infection are so well scat | tered throughout the state that no
 town may expect to escape it. It would be well for local health officers, members of school boards and other | town officials to meet together to dis
 cuss the situation and map out definite plan of action.
 During the past SIX weeks the state | department of health has issued SeV- eraI bulletins on the subject of diph- theria, and the pubilc-spirited news 1 papers of the state have given them wide publicity. In those bulletins IL
 was shown that the SchicE test will
 reveal whether or not chfld may
 contract diphtheria; that vaccination
 with toxin-antitoxin induces inn
 munity and furnishes almost as cer-
 tain protection against diphtheria as
 does vaccination against smallpox;
 n h.
 theria develops, the early admins tration of anti-toxin almost invaria- bly effects a cure.
 During the first nine months of this year there were thirty-four more deaths from diphtheria than in the corresponding period of last year. The progress of the disease is illus , trated by the cases reported for the
 past four months: July, 89; August 120; September, 249; October, 462.
 IncompIete returns for the first two 3 weeks of November show PIT report l ed cases, of which Waterbury has re- I ported 51; Hartford, 27; Bristol, IS; New Haven, 14; Bridgeport, IS; ) Stonington, IS; New Britain, 10; v Stratford, 10. With the reported
 cases for this year already in excess of last years total, there is every in dication that complete reports fol l 1919 will show at least 500 more = cases than were reported in 1918 g while the diphtheria deaths in Con l necticut this year will probably reacf Y total of at least 250.
 The most dangerous spreaders ot t the disease are the unsuspected t diphtheria carriers, who harbor the = germs in their throats and noses. They n are generally immune themselves and a appear to be in good health. Wher . a case develops among school chill S dren and the source of infection can e not be traced. 1t is wise to culture the n throats and moses Of all children 1T ', the discovery of a carrier. Every t child carrier should be isolated and l, placed under treatment to relieve the = condition. Most carriers have en B. larged tonsils. The removal of the = tonsils and adenoids from the throat: a of those who have them is almos | certain to rid a carrier of the germs At a time like the present, every l. case Of sore throat in a child should arouse suspicion of diphtheria. I l. sore throat is discovered in school e the sick child should be sent home immediately and the parents ans u health officer notified. Parents ar u urged not to attempt home-treatmen but to send for the family physician l.. Delays are never more QanSerou H than in cases of diphtheria.
 Y, Weekly morbidity report for weel ended November 16, 1919. Includin; o all cases reported before II a. m. V Monday, Nov. IT. 1919:
 = Diphtheria.--Bethel 1; Bridgepor e 6; Danbury (city) 2; Darien 2; Fair = field 5; Shelton 2; Stamford (city) 5 s. Stratford 8; Trumbull 1.
 Measles-Bridgeport s; Fairfield 3
 Greenwich l; Stamford (city) 3 - Stratford 5.
 Scarlet Fever.-Danbury (city) l -s Stamford (city) 1; Stamford Gown Y, 1; Westport 2-
 u. Typhoid Fever.-Norwa1k l; Strat
 ford 1.
 |. Whooping Cough.-Fairfeld 2 = Shelton 6.
 - Other Communicable Diseases y Gonorrhoea IA; syphilis 13; tuberculo .e sis 22; chicken pox 26; pneumonia 5 con5unctivitis inf. 8.
 = whooping cough and measles ar
 reported epidemic at Pornfret, Wind
 ham county. There is now a total o
 13 cases of typhoid In the East Ha
 ven-New Haven outbreak. Diph
 theria and measles each gained fort -l cases over preceding week