The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1922-06-09
NEWBORN DANGER
in YELLOW FEVER
May Cross Ocean in Event of
Quick Transit Between Amer
lean and African Tropics.
GORGAS, WARNING RECALLED
In Former Days Time Of Transit
Across Atlantic Was Long Enough
to~AIlow all Cases Of Fever on
Board to Kill or Cure.

Panama.-The two Portuguese avia-
tors flying across the Atlantic from
Africa to South America brings to
mind a prophetic warning Of the late
General Gorgas. This was to the
effect that when quick transportation
between tropical Africa and tropical
America should develop, as it eventu-
ally would, it would greatly increase
the danger of the spread of yellow
fever to the Eastern Hemisphere as
long as the disease remained in South
America, especially in Brazil.
Days of the Slave Trade.
The reason why yellow fever did not
spread from America to Africa in the
days Of the slave trade, as malaria
did spread from Africa to America
then, illutrates beautifully an. impor-
tant difference between the two great
tropical plaques, as well as gives point
and pertinence to General GOrgas'
warning. Yellow fever kills or cures
in a very short time; malaria may
linger in the system for very long
time. In former days the time of
transit across the Atlantic was long
enough to allow all cases of yellow
fever on board a ship to die or to re-.
cover before the voyage ended. Re-
eoyery conferred immunity on the for
tunate.- and if mosquito should bite
them after they reached Africa they
found no germs in them to transmit
to others. So it required very quick
transit to get the infection across. 1t
is not yet positively certain that vel
low fever ever did cross the ocean.
General Gorgas was on his way to the
west coast of Africa to settle this
| question definitely when he died in
| London.
An Important Difference.
But malaria, which seems to have
originated in Africa, does not confer
immunity upon those who recover
from an attack. The germs may sur
vive in the system Of the sufferer for
months, or even for years, in a more
| or less dormant state, even If acute
attacks do not again develop, and
these germs may infect the anopheles
or Misunderstanding mosquitoes, and
| so enable them to infect others. In
this way the African slaves brought
malaria to America with them, but the
slave traders did not carry back vel
low fever with them to Africa-al
least it is not definitely known that
they did-and the long time Of transit
| was unfavorable to any considerable
transportation of the infection. 1t is
certain that Africa has not suffered
from the imported American plague OF
| yellow fever as much as America has
from the malaria imported from
Africa.
Arplane May Change This.
But the airplane may easily change
all this If the Atlantic is crossed In
two or three days any member of the
crew of an airplane having an infec-
ton of yellow fever may easily carry
the disease to where the mosquitoes
are waiting to do their part on both
sides of the Atlantic. Yellow fever
does not reveal itself Immediately
after a man is bitten by an infected
mosquito.
The only safety would lie in strict
quarantine at the port Of arrival In
Africa or Europe, the crew and pas
sengers all being detained under watch
until the period Of incubation has
passed. The other remedy is to clear
up South America of yellow fever, as
General Gorgas so strongly urged