New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-09-07
MEASLES DANGEROUS
HEALTH SUPT. SAYS
Warns Parents Not 10 Hold Chill.
drtn's Disease Too Lightly
BIT RICHARD W, PuLLEs, n. D.
isunsFintenaeht OF Health pspta

s-efSf--s~"sS"f - tt>@-f@ r~~t.f
''What do you knew sbou
nesslesf In the nrst place. do seu
consider IT one Of the diseases thai
all the Kids have SGT 10 have and y
Is best 10 set it over with while
they're youngs' This view 10 wrong
Messlss like scarlet fever and
diphthsris. IL dangerous, To illus
trate this. let US consider the state
mortality figures These show that
In 1889 there were iss deaths due 10
measles. Most OF these were In chill
dren under nee years OF age. 90
measles 10 not So innocent - many
people think.
The disease 10 spread by con-
tact that IL. from person TO person.
The air near person sunefins
from the disease can easily he con-
taminAtsd by the patient coughing.
sneezing or blowing the nose care
lessly. II some child that has measles
coughs into your baby's sface. Your
baby will probably catch the disease
unless he has already been sick with
II. Older persons are not 30 subject
20 attacks. but serious epidemics have
shown that adults are not always
safe from infection.
After your child has been exposed
70 measles he will begin TO develop
symptoms IN about two weeks. though
II may be ~ early as one week or
late as three weeks. Usually the
first symptoms will be drowsiness and
perhaps headache. with thin watery
discharge from the nose and redness
around the eyes. Koplik spots occur
early In the disease. These are little
white spots surrounded by a red
ring, which occur on the inside OF
the lower lip. There 10 fever and
the child loses appetite. About the
fourth day the rash appears. II
starts first on the face as little red
pimples. These become thicker and
thicker and spread over the face and
down onto the neck and chest. The
whole rash looks copper red and
blotchy.- Though 1t Is most severe
and OF the brightest color on the
chest and abdomen. the rash usually
covers the greater part Of the whole
body.
ANY of these signs may mean that
your child has measles and, as In
scarlet fever. The family physician
should be called and allowed to take
charge of the case at once. Don't
be surprised or indignant II the doc
tor says he cannot be sure at first
what the disease is. Measles is not
always easy to diagnose and it often
happens that physicians of long ex-
perience cannot agree on case,
when you know that the child has
measles, about the same rules as we're
given for scarlet fever have to be fol-
lowed. The child must be kept away
from other children. No one but the
doctor and the person taking care of
the child should be allowed to enter
the room where the sick child is.
Great care should be taken that moth
ing is carried from the sick room and
allowed within the reach of other
persons. 1t is a good plan for the at,
tendant to wear loose apron or other
garment that can always be left in the
sick room and only worn when the
attendant is taking care Of the pa
tient. This garment should be re-
moved and hung by the sick room
door when the attendant leaves. The
should then wash his or her
hands thoroughly.
above all, be sure that the doc
tors orders are followed as closely as
possible. Perhaps his orders may
seem too strict at times, but he knows
best He knows that when the child
Is sick with measles, any unnecessary
exertion may help to bring on COM
plcations. The complication of
measles are Serious, namely otitis
media, pneumonia and nephritis.
Otitis media is an Inflammation of the
inner ear which may cause deafness 1t
may lead to Inflammation of the mas
told cells in the skull which will make
an operation necessary. Pneumonia
everyone knows and fears. Nephritis
includes a number of diseases of the
kidneys, among which is the we'll
known Bright's disease. 1t is not I'M
usual to find an old case of Bright's
disease that can be traced back to
an attack of measles.
ITO sum this all up then, measles
$ a serious disease, which most COM
monty attacks children. 1t is spread
by contact and spreads very easily
and rapidly. but those who have had
he disease are usually immune.
1T usually begins about two weeks
lfter the child is exposed with
headache, running of the
lose and eyes, fever and loss of ap-
petite. The rash apepars four Or
i've days later and spreads from the
ace to the neck and chest and then
,ver the whole body. One Of the
'arly signs is the occurrence of koplik
pots on the inside Of the lower lip.
The diagnosis must be left to the
ahysician, and his orders must be
ollowed to guard against severe
and against spreading
he disease to other persons.
BE Careful. Remember that the
measles patient is seriously sick. Re-
member again that IL you want to