Connecticut western news., 1921-01-27
BE VACCINATED AND
 AVOID SMALLPOX
(Continued from page 1)

depend upon the thoroughness with which we protect ourselves with the one certain remedy against it, namely vaccination.
 The Value of Vaccination
 It should be unnecessary at this date to argue in favor of vaccination. Nothing is so certain in medicine as the value of vaccination. The proof is at every hand. The most striking case is that of Cuba. In that coun- try, before American occupation, smallpox was very common and the number of cases and deaths, very large. In 1896 and 1897, there were over one thousand deaths each year in the city of Havana alone; but, with the beginning of American occupation, vaccination was en- forced. Children were compelled to be vaccinated, as were also all per sons who had not been previously vaccinated. The effect of this work was observed almost at once. Be- tween 1901 and 1917, there was only one death from smallpox in this city. A similar condition can be described in Japan. That country, before vaccination was enforced, all ways had thousands of cases and deaths each year. Epidemics were especially severe. But in I3Gg The law of Japan required vaccination of each newborn baby within three months after it was born and this, apparently, had the effect of reduc- ing the number of cases and deaths to negligible number. There have been no epidemics from smallpox in Japan since vaccination was serious ly begun. a=<
 No Vaccination, Much Smallpox
 Another convincing argument for the great value of vaccination is that in every epidemic those recently vac cinated almost always escape. Dur ing 1918, seven States reported 23,890 cases of smallpox. It was found that 73 per cent. of the sick had never been vaccinated, nearly per cent had been vaccinated more than seven years earlier. Only a little over one-half of one per cent. had been vaccinated within seven years, and the rest could give no in formation as to vaccination.
 In the United States, smallpox does not exist where vaccination is rigidly enforced. Some cases are brought in on ships and on railroads from other places, but no epidemics break out because the soil is not favorable to the spread of smallpox where there is general vaccination. On the other hand, in those cities where vaccination is not generally practised, many cases occur each year. In Canada, the Province of Ontario suffered from very serious outbreak with thousands of cases this year, and the United States authorities declared quarantine against all travellers from that Pro vince into the Unitco States. The State of California has ' reported many cases in recent years, and a number of States in the South show that smallpox is prevalent. In every case, these States are the ones where vaccination i3 not en- forced. Tn 1918, the Government records show that there were nearly seventy thousand cases reported in thirty-fve States. There were prob ably many more cases that were nev- CT reported. The figures for 1919 are not easily obtained, but smallpox increased in many States, particular lv in Ohio, California Illinois, and Maine.
 Danger from Single Case
 The people of America have te- come careless with reference to the dangers from smallpox. They have enjoyed many years of relative safe ty from this disease. Cases have been few and mild. But the disease is rapidly increasing, and at any time it may change it's form from the mild to the severe type. Occasion ally, we hear of local outbreaks of very serious smallpox, when one out of every five persons who is attacked dies from the disease. Sometimes only one case of the serious type will do a great deal of mischief if it falls on favorable soil-that is, if it is brought in where there are a num- Der of unvaccinated people. In Massachusetts and Minnesota, many cases and deaths occurred in recent years as the result of severe case being brought in by immigrants. The lesson to be learned from the facts is that if the people of the United States do not rigidly enforce the practice of vaccination they may at any moment, expect such condi- tions as are prevailing in many ceun- tries of Europe and Asia.
 Mothers should be especially anx- ious to vaccinate their babies early in their first year. They should re- peat this when their children are about twelve and once again when they are grown up. This will make for complete protection.
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