The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-06
HEALTH OFFICIALS DISTURBED OVER DREAD TICK FEVER
Authorities Take Quick Rctlon To Avert Spread Of
 MaIady

Tick fever has reappeared in lief ferson county. Federal, city and county health authorities are so wrought up they are seeing red.
 The health department spent thou sands of dollars, as did the federal cattle ticks, freeing Jefferson from the cattle shipment embargo or quar- antine, and placing the dairy and cat tie industry on plane that has been recognized throughout the United States as model. Now the ticks and the accompanying fever have re- turned.
 Five cows are reported dead and a number of others with high tempera- lures. Wednesday morning federal. state, county and city health officers were busy taking inspectors to herds throughout the district. Findings so far have traced the outbreak to cows bought by needless men from quar- antined Shelby county, slipped over unobserved and the cause of the pres ent trouble.
 Steps were taken at once Wednes- day for a complete and comprehen- sive inspection of all herds, eXamina- tions of cattle and all dairymen were put on guard to observe for rising temperatures.
 There is no danger whatever to the ! milk supply. Luckily for people, the milk Is not Injured to an extent that would be harmful to humans, but the fever means death, in most instances, to cattle, and decimation of stock raised for meat.
 All suspected cows are being cut out from the dairy herds and the milk supply will be kept inviolate.
 What has exasperted the dairymen and health officials of all branches Is that Jefferson county dairymen will, per-force, have to go back to cattle dipping, and all the trouble it entails, before the area can be again pronounced free from the trouble. De- spite the regulations and the knowl- edge of the danger. the purchasers of the suspect cattle from Shelby county have brought on the industry in Jeff ferson what will prove a heavy ex- pense and sore trial, when they could 1 have easily purchased additional stock from immune territory. The re- introduced menace was, officials say, entirely needless.
 Action by the dairymen as an or ganization is looked for in the effort to trace the source of the infection to It's base, for the dairymen are now cooperating with the authorities in keeping up the great standard they | and the officials have achieved for Birmingham and Jefferson county as dairy industry center.
 Officials of the bureau Of animal in- dustry were notified Wednesday morning officially of the report reaching the health authorities. l.. c. Bulmer, chief of the food and dairy | division of the health department, sent the department inspectors on the jump to the dairy herds report ing the presence of the malady, and county organizations took immediate steps to join the fight to curb the spread of tick fever, isolate individ- ual cattle and herds and curb the out break as quickly as possible. MT. Bulmer explained that the only effect of the fever on-milk Is to some what change it's chemical Identity possibly alter it's taste in. some small measure and to be objectionable on | general principles.
 l It Is the great investment in fine cattle that is at stake, for the herds 1 supplying Birmingham have beer
 built up to much higher standard.
 and greater values than was the cas, even a year ago. In some of tht
 herds about Birmingham, officials
 say, are to be found cows that will bt
 the progenitors of celebrated stock
 and the trying part of the outbreak
 is that the fever can hit any COW, the
 best of them along with the worst.