The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1920-07-09
MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA

mon diseases of our Southern
states and there is only one way.
by which it can be contracted
through the bite of an anopheline
mosquito. This mosquito receives
the infection from a person suf-
fering with malaria; the germs
multiply. in the insects stomach
and in about II days migrate to
its salivary glands, where they
are passed out into the blood of a
person subsequently bitten by the
mosquito. The mosquito is not
born with the malaria germs, but
to get them must bite a person
who has them in his blood.
The Misunderstanding mosquito
usually bites at dusk or twilight.
Dr some time during the hours
between sunset and sunrise. Pro-
lection against mosquitoes can be
had by screening the bedroom, or
preferably the entire house, and
this also rids the house of flies.
But the best means of freeing a
home Of mosquitoes is to destroy
their breeding places. Mosquitoes,
as a rule, do not fly far from their
breeding place, and the question
OF control is merely a question
OF effort on the part of the indivi-
dual householder. The majority
of rural homes, and certainly the
majority of rural communities,
can either have or not have mos
quitoes.
Mosquitoes breed in any stand
ing water, but prefer clean water.
The laria-bearing mosquitoes
like shallow water, especially
pools protected by shade, grass,
or other vegetation. They lay
their eggs in such places and these
hatch into larvae or "wiggle-
tails, " then into pupae, and final
ly change into mosquitoes. 1t
takes from 9 TO Is days for the
full-grown mosquito to develop
from the egg. To get rid of stand
ing water, sub-soil drains, the fill
ing of law places, and the empty
ing of water containers at least
once week, are necessary. Care
should be taken to see that gut
ters do not become stopped with
leaves or that broken bottles and
tin cans do not accumulate and
collect water. In places which it
is not practicable or desirable to
drain, the wiggle-tails or larvae
may be killed by pouring kerosene
oil on the water; using one to two
ounces on ever Is square feet of
surface. This measure must be re-
peated every week. Under suit
able conditions the breeding of
MOSQUITOES can be controlled in
ponds by introducing fish, the
.ninnows destroying the eggs and
larvae.
Malaria is a very serious dis
ease, characterized by chiIls and
fever, weakening of body, and
general ill-health. 1t is respon-
sible for greater loss of time and
money and inefficiency, in many
sections, than any disease we.
have. 1t is important to recog-
nize that malaria cannot be
spread without mosquitoes and
that malaria is preventable, the
prevention depending on the CO.
operative effort of all the indivi-
duals and families in a commun-
ity.
How to prevent mosquitoes and
malaria.
, l. Begin early in the spring and
continue the preventive measures
during the warm months.
2 Remove garbage cans, bottles
buckets, and barrels which are
likely to collect water.
3. Drain or fill every pond or
pool OF Stagnant water. Oil places
| which cannot be drained.
4. Screen the house, especially
the bedrooms, and keep the screen
doors shut. Galvanized iron
screen of at least IA, preferably
Is, strands to the inch should be
used.
5. Keep mosquitoes away from
any person having chiIIs and
fever, or they will carry the dis
ease to others.
r T. WaSb hmm nj n - TIL =