The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-29
Iowa Health Authorities Hope to Have
New Plan for Recording Com
municable Diseases in coun-
try Working by Nov. 1.
SYSTEM OF PI.ACARDs
Local and State Boards Will Have
More Thorough System of Com
municating with Each
Other.

DIES MONIES, Oct. 2e.-By the
first of November the state board Of
health in Iowa hopes to have in work
ing order one Of the most complete
systems for the reporting Of commu-
| nicable' diseases that there is in the
| country.
The mayor and council Of each
town or city, or the trustees of any
township, shall constitute a local
| board of health within the limits of
such towns, cities or townships in
Iowa of which they are officers. The
town, city or township clerk shall be
clerk of the local board, which board
shall appoint competent physician
as it's health officer, who shall hold
| office during its pleasure. The duties
of the local boards of health are to
enforce the rules and regulations of
the state boalM Of health and their
own rules and regulations.
Disease Reports Daily.
The state board Of health will
shortly distribute to these local
boards Of health postal cards to be
mailed to the state board each day
by the local boards. These cards will
be filled out with a report of all COM
municable diseases occurring in the
community they come from during
each twenty-four hours. The local
boards shall also keep records of
these diseases in a chart book to be |
furnished by the state board; and at |
the end of each month the local board |
will send in summary to the state |
board, giving the number of COM /
municable diseases reported during |
that month. By this method, the |
state board hopes to be able to keep !
check on any possible epidemics
occurring throughout the state and to :,
be able to dispatch the collaborating \
epidemiologist to any community on
the shortest possible notice to aid in
fighting any disease. In many of
the larger cities of the state there
are, Of course, highly organized
health departments to which local
are obliged to report COM
diseases But this new
a check and to be ready with assist
ance when needed.
Diseases to Be Guaranteed
According to instructions sent out
board of health, the following dis
eases are subject to quarantine:
Scarlet fever (including scarlet rash
and scalatina), smallpox, diphtheria
(including membranous Group, chol-
spinal meningitis, anterior poliomye-
litis,. Spanish Influenza, bubonic
plague, or any other infectious or
10 or ~, attenuation,
Of the state board Of health. All of
the following diseases are subject
to placard: Whooping cough, measles,
and chickenpox.
1t shall be the duty Of the mayor
of every city or town, and the clerk
Of every township, in their respec-
tive jurisdictions. to report to the
secretary Of the state board of health,
notified thereof, every case Of quar-
antinable or placard disease reported
to them, and upon receiving notice
of the subsistence of such disease
likewise to Immediately report that
fact, together with the mode of ter
whether by death or re-
covery.
Other Diseases.
In addition to the above quaran-
Unable and placard diseases, the
diseases are to be recorded
when they occur. All those diseases
in addition to the above must be re-
ported by physicians in accordance
with the rules of the Iowa state
board of health, viz: Chancrod, gon-
errhea, syphilis, anthrax lin mani,
opthalmia neonatorum, pellagra, pneu-
monia, puerperal fever. pulmonary
(consumption), rabies
(hydrophobia), typhoid fever and
typhus fever (spotted or putrod
fever).
Three classes of cards will be fur