The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-08-22
MUST BE CAREFUL
TopekanS Warned to Avoid
Diphtheria Epidemic.
More Danger in Next Attack Of
Disease, 1t Is Said.
MORE CASES THAN LAST YEAR
1 Fatalities Win Be Higher, DR..
Earle G. Brown Warns.
Take the Necessary Precautions
But Do Not Worry.

Precau1On must De taken lIIIneul-
ateIy If Topekans avoid much Sc
verer diphtheria epidemic this fall and
winter with fatalities more than
tripled over last year. This is the
keynote of a warning issued today by
DR.. Earle G. Brown. city health Off
Ger.
1T looks now like we might have
more cases this winter and in case OF
an epidemic the percentage of IA
taIities- will b. much higher, says
Doctor Brown I'VE cannot success
fully fight the disease unless We have
the cooperation of everyone. II per-
sons have sore Threats or colds that
appear at all serious they should have
e. them investigated Immediately. Early
treatment in the first few hours of
the disease is the secret OF combating
il successfully.
THE percentage of fatalities result
ing from this disease have tripled in
the last six months. In the last seven
years excluding 1921 and 1915 the
humber of cases per year was under
100. Z In the last twelve and one-haf
months $50 cases of diphtheria have
been reported. Altho a cold wet
winter is supposed to be the ideal time
for the disease it got a big start before
school opened in 1921 and received
added impetus afterwards due to the
close contact Of children in the school
rooms. 1t was headed off By culturing
5000 school children"
No Need to Worry.
There is no necessity in worrying
over the disease if the necessary pre-
cautions are taken, says Doctor
Brown Two treatments are now being
used successfully. Anti-toxin has
been used the last few years and an
other comparatively new preventive
treatment toxin-anti-toxin is being
used successfully. according to Doctor
Brown.
He has statistics based on 1000
cases showing that fourteen out OF
every 1000 unintmunized persons re-
ceive the attack. out OF 500 cases
where toxin-anti-toxin was admins
tered only three cases developed be-
fore immunization and only one case
is thought to have developed after
this treatment was applied.
1t is administered by hyperdermic
and three doses are given one week
apart 1t has no reaction on children,
who suffer in the great majority OF
the cases of the disease. 1t does not
make them sick but affects only
adults, according to Doctor Brown
The number of deaths by ages in
Topeka in the last twelve and one
half months was as follows: One
year. 1 one to seven years, 10; nine
years~1: ten years, 1; fifteen years, T.
seventeen years. /, and twenty-six
years, 1. The rate of attack in To-
peka was 16.9 per 1000 persons. The
death rate in Topeka is low as COM
pared with other cities. 1
Danger in Epidemic.
The longer a disease epidemic ex-
tends the more dangerous it grows,
says Doctor Brown The percentage
OF fatalities from this disease has
tripled in the last six months Since
August 5. 1921. to the present time
iberia reported in Topeka. Twenty
one deaths resulted. The percentage
of fatalities for the period was "a
per cent. From August 5, 1921, to
fourteen deaths. The percentage of
deaths was LIS per cent. Since Feb
ruary to the present date there have
been seventy-four cases and seven
for the latter period was 6.S per cent.
The percentage Of deaths from the
cases has tripled since February l.
One of the essentials for checking
the disease Is quarantining carriers,
says Doctor Brown. In the last year
156 persons were found to be carriers
These persons carried the germs from
one to eight weeks. Eighty-five per
cent of them were released from quar-
antine at the end of the third week
Carriers n Menace.
A carrier is a person, who on lab
oratory examination shows the diph-
liberia germs. but does not show any
active manifestations of the disease,
says Doctor Brown. A person may
be a carrier for months, he says.
The number of cases of the disease
and the number of fatalities in Topeka
per month for the last thirteen
months were as follows: August, 1921. |
so, l; September. 162, 5; October. 29l,
o; November. 16s. 8; December, II, o;
January, as, 8: February, IA, 2; !
March, Il. 3; April, II. 0; May, 2, o: /
June, 9. 1; July. 5. o; August. 7, 1.