Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1920-01-30
ORDERED BY STATE
BOARD OF HEALTH RULES DIS.
EASES ARE ONE AND tn E.
SAME AND MUST BE CARE,
ANY FURTHER SPREAD OF CON.
TAGION.

Formal notice that the state board
OF health has ceased to split hairs
over what constitutes influenza and
what are the characteristics Of la
grippe WAS served today upon Dr. W.
A. Pike. city health commissioner, in
the form Of an official order to here
after classify the we diseases as
one and the same As a result Of the
mandate homes in WLjcn grippe mas
Deen found will be Closed lnder Il
strict quarantine lOr influenza.
STEPS to put the order into eltecj were
Immediately taken by DR. Pike. vino
ordered large placards bearing the
word influenza Tor distribution
about the city. They will be tackled
up on all residences where cases OF
the grippe" have been revealed dur
ing the present epidemic, ana whore
restrictions provided in the Quaran-
ine law have not been complied Win
The law provides that all homes
where the illness has been found mast
remain under the ban until five days
after fever has disappeared and the
patient or patients have been haCk
10 normal.
The order. drastic as it is in its im-
port leaves no alternatives bat for the
doctors OF the city to obey it to the
letter While putting it into enect
DR.. Pike is printing post cards which
;he NJ. D.'s must fill out and return
to him so that a record can be Kept |
OF all cases of grip-hu in the city.
In explaining the almost revolution. .
AIRY turn OF events decided upon 10y !
the state health officers Dr. Pike said /
20 a representative of the Free Trad /,
sr-Journal:
THE use OF the terms influenza |
and la grippe, as applied to the pres /
ent epidemic, more or less prevalent |
in Ottawa, and throughout the state, |
has been the source of a great deal
O. confusion.
The epidemic, being mild in char /
aCter and lacking to Il great extent !
the tendency to pneumonia 50 com |
mon last year, has led to quite Il little |
difference Of opinion as to which name .
to apply. while. as a matter OF fact,
the two terms, influenza and la
grippe, are practically synonymous.
AS Il matter OF uniformity and as
an aid in successfully lighting and |
eradicating he disease, the state
board of health has issued instruc.
tions that all such cases be desig, |
mated as influenza and that they be
pIacarded and quarantined, All cases
must be isolated from the rest of the
family and come in contact only with
the necessary attendants.
The quarantine is not to be tcrmi
mated until the temperature of the pa.
tient has remained at normal for five
days. Where quarantine is thus es.
tabliShed other members OF the house.
hold not affected with the disease
may go about their business. except
that school children must be kept
from classes to prevent their coming
in contact with others while the house
is under quarantine"
No Need to Close Up Town.
A bulletin issued by the state Board
OF Health points out that there is no
urgent need at the present to close
up schools. theatres and other places
where people gather in large numbers
altho there is imperative necessiti of
close observance OF the rules of quar-
antine to keep the epidemic we'll in
control. The bulletin says.
aside from the rules and reeula-
tiOns for the control of influenza and
pneumonia which, under the law must
be observed implicitly, and the rec
concentrations of action based upon
definite knowledge and experience
the State Department of Public
Health offers the following sugges
tlons as to general policies to be fol
lowed by municipal authorities and
others engaged in dealing with an
epidemic or impending epidemic
These suggestions are based upon the
experience of the department in deal
ing with the epidemic of l9lS.l9l9;
upon the experience of other state
health organizations and upon the
studies and recommendations of the
United States Public Health Service,
the American Public Health associa-
tion and other scientific organiaa.
tiOns.
Experience does not seem to justi.