The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-12-27
STATE BOARD OF
HEALTH UNEASY
FEARS GENERAL EPIDEMIC OF
MALIGNANT SMALLPOX; is
URGING VACCINATION.
Over 500 Cases of Disease During
Year; on Account of Mild Type of
Disease in Recent Years Vaccina-
ton Has Been Neglected.

Since January /, 1923, there have
been SAC cases of smallpox reported
to the state board of health, with
two deaths. These cases and these
deaths could have been prevented by
vaccination, it is asserted in the
Health Review" issued by the Mon
tana health department
1t is true, the Review states, that
the majority of cases of smallpox
appearing in Montana in recent years
have been extremely mild, but there
is no reason that we can see why
smallpox may not at any time appear
in a malignant form as it did in 1921
in Kansas City, Missouri, and Denver,
Colorado, where there was a very
large fatality rate. On account of
the mild type of the disease in re-
cent years, people have neglected vac
cination. This is the reason we are
having so many cases of smallpox at
the present time. In many places
in the state where smallpox his made
it's appearance, the local and county
health officers have been able to get
a large proportion of the people vac
cinated. An increase of this occurred
at Kalispell where the local health
officer was able to have over 500
of the school children vaccinated.
Situation in Butte
During the months Of September,
October and November, smallpox
made its appearance in Butte in a
gradually increasing number of cases.
1t was reported to the state board of
health that about 80 per cent of the
children who had entered the schools
since 1917 we're vaccinated. With
the probability of a serious epidemic
occurring in this town unless soce-
thing was lone to prevent it, the
state board of health at a special
meeting on November %, issued an
order that all children attending the
Butte schools must present evidence
of successful vaccination on the re-
opening of the schools after the
Christmas vacation. This order has
caused a tempest in a teapot" i'll
Butte. So-called mass meetings are
being held, resolutions protesting
against this order have been passed,
and it is reported hat petitions are
being circulated to have the order re-
scinded. The state board of health
expected this action on the part of
the anti-vaccinationist in Butte, and
would have been very much disap-
pointed had it not occurred. In 1917
the state board of health issued a
order applying to Butte and
Silver Bow county. The same mass
meetings we're held at that time, petit
lions we're signed up, the state board {
Of health was threatened with ex-
tinction, and the validity of the law I
giving the state board of health this /
authority was questioned; in fact,
he matter was taken into the district
court which gave a decision u%pholding
he action of the board. At that l
.ime threats were made that the law /
would be repealed at the following S
session of the legislature. At the Z
-919 session of the legislature a bill +
vas actually introduced for the pur- {
rose of limiting the powers of the !
tate board of health in respect to :
ompulsory vaccination of school CHI :
rem. This bill did not get to first Y
'ase. With the history of having P
zen upheld by the courts and sus-
aimed by the legislatures, the state G.
oard of health expects to carry out "
IS order in Butte, in spite of a few Il
abid Observation-Disclosures. :
A few years ago a similar order =
ras issued in Great Falls, and the q
Observation-Disclosures got busy and u
probably have carried the mat a
er into the court had not the leader n
erse1f contracted smallpox and then h
oluntarily had her children vaccin- c.
ted. AS a rule, the agitators against h,
are themselves protect
j against smallpox by having been
accinated in their youth through the q
isdom of their parents or compul- Pr
Try vaccination laws. Va
-O- l.