Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1921-09-23
CLOSE SCHOOLS
AT NEzPERCE
ACTION TAKEN TO PRE-
VENT THE SPREADING OF
INFANTILE PARALYSIS.

Following the death of Russell
Flora, 8-year-old son of Rev. and
Mrs. F. A. Flora, of Nezperce, at
5 o'clock Wednesday morning,
from an illness diagnosed as in
fantile paralysis, the city council
and school board of that city
deemed it best to close the school
in Nepzerce for q period of ten
days and to suppress all public
gatherings. There are a num-
ber of cases OF sickness there of
a suspicious nature that it IS
feared may be infantile paralysis
and the action taken by the
council and school authorities
was an effort to prevent the
spread of this disease.
Warning to the Public.
Owing to the prevalence of in
fantile paralysis in the north
west states. especially in the
state of Washington, where the
disease has been especially fatal,
or has left the patient perma-
nently disabled, the department
of public welfare of the state of
Idaho has issued a statement
and warning to the public, call
ing attention, among other
things, to the fact that a large
numbes of cases have been re-
ported in this state, principally
in the northern part. The state
ment follows:
At present very little is known
of the causative agent, but it is
supposed to be due to some
micro-organism, causing a gen
eral infection first, later on lacal-
izing in the spinal cord where it
attacks the nerve roots, causing
paralysis of the muscles supplied
by these nerves. 1t is q well
known fact that it is transmit
ted from one person to another,
but the manner of transmission
is not known.
The disease sarts in the
same manner as any fever con-
dition, may stimulate ordinary
intestinal infection which lasts
for a day or two, or perhaps
only a short very few hours, fol-
lowed by paralysis, or loss of
sensation, in some part of the
body. This may partly clear
up and in some instances it
clears up entirely. Other cases
result in paralysis of one or more
groups of muscles for life. If
there is a paralysis of the respir-
atory center, death results.
The following precaution
should Ee taken in all cases of
children showing symptoms of
fever diseasesi
First. The sick child should be
put to bed in a quiet darkened
room and a physician called to
diagnose the case. In the mean
time the bowels should be clean
ed out with a mild cathartic, the
throat gargled with warm salt
water solution of one-half tea
spoonful of ordinary table salt
to glass of hot water. This
should be done twice day. All
excretions from the body should
be disinfected OF burned especi-
ally handkerchielfs.
The patient should be kept as
quiet as possible in order to pro-
tect the nervous system from be-
coming a focus of the infection.
If the case is diagnosed as "In-
fantile Paralysis" Rosenow's
serum, which is obtained from
the Mayo Clintic, may be used
at this time. 1t must be used
before the paralysis has develop
ed and even when thus used, too
much must not be expected of it,
as its value has not been defin-
itely determined. as yet. This
may be obtained from the De
partment of Public Welfare,
Boise. Idaho, free of charge.
Until the cold weather defin-
itely sets in, the well children
should be kept out of doors, but
away from public gatherings.
Special attention should be paid
to the bowels and to their foods.
The mouth and throat, especially
the teeth and tonsils, should be
well taken care of. A little pre-
caution taken at this time may
prevent serious illness or death
of your child.
Help the health authorities in
preventing this disease from be.
a