The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1923-04-27
MOSQUITO IS MENAC-
ING TO PUBLIC NOW
State Board of Health Urges
People to Get Good Start
on MalariaI Control

ID. A. Kroeze, director of sanitarv
engineering for the state, is issuing
warming to the counties against the
mistake of too late start in malaria
control methods, as the MOSQUITO
the very dangerous enemy to the
health of the community is now be-
ginning his summer campaign in all
parts of the state and unless a coun-
Ter offensive is instituted by health
authorities and citizens Missisippi
will again suffer as usual unneces-
sary loss of time and money. and
many people will suffer the ills of
malaria and dengue fevers:
The annual economic loss. due tn
tendant evils of the MOSQUITOES ac-
tIvities in this state each year are
Dills, inefficient labor and the at
tivities in this state each year are
appalling. Furthermore, at the pres
ent time there is great shortage
OF labor in Mississippi. Combining
this with the decrease in the eff
cheney of labor that will result from
malaria, and possible dengue this
year, it can easily be concluded that
before the season is over we will be
confronted with a very serious condi-
ton wherever labor is needed. This
matter is of vital Importance to the
agricultural, industrial and CONNER
cial interests of the state.
These diseases can be controlled
and their resulting losses be elimi-
mated if the people of the state make
an honest and continuous effort, but
unless they do we will continue to
pay annually more than a million
dollars as tax for the privilege of
having mosquitoes.
The state board of health carries
on activities for the control of the
mosquito borne diseases as far as
the appropriation available for the
work viii go and as far as it is
equitable to apply funds received
from the state at large to local
needs; but it is the policy of the de-
partment, as indicated by DR.. w. s.
Leathers, executive secretary of the
board primarily to initiate, and sec
ondarily, to direct public health ac-
tivities IN such way as to make the
public more self relient and able to
continue the work rather than to
weaken them by too long continued
outside help.
A problem so general requires also
activities beyond the facilities of the
department. 1t will take the inter-
est and cooperation of all the agri-
cultural, industrial and commercial
interests of the state, an enlightened
legislature, county supervisors who
wart to see their people better off,
and a public spirit throughout the
masses that will unite all in state
wide association to provide ways and
means to get rid of the mence of
the moscuito-a large order, but
with the proper guidance not impos-
sibie.
The a~tiIties carried on by the
i.oard If Lealth consists of educa-
ton and publicity work. throughout
the state. in connection with these
diseases. School lectures, public lee
lures. summer normal school courses,
newspaper publicity. bulletins deal
ing with the cause. prevention and
cure of malaria. etc. Field work con-
sists of the use of every known
means of combating the mosquito
the field men institute and carry on
drainage work, oiling, creosoting,
fish propagation, etc. The methods
of mosquito control are well known
and tested. and every method is made
use Of as occasion demands.
There is no argument in favor of
Mississippi's continuing to suffer an
enormous economic loss through the
mosquito borne diseases. The board
of health has proved and is con-
tinuing to prove in many localities
the possibilities and the effectiveness
of anti-mosquito work, and the time
has come when the public must
realize that it is not only a public
health but also public wealth mat
ter, and that the solution Of the prob
lem demands the attention Of the
financial interests Of the state.