The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1926-07-15
Have Them Vaccinated.

Ii your small son or daughter is 60
ing to start on the royal road to the
three Rs this fall, now is the time to
have him or her, as the case may be,
vaccinated against smallpox. That is,
of course, if it has not been done pre-
viously. Do it for two reasons: First,
and most important, to protect the
ycunster against one of the most dis
figuring and loathsome diseases
known; second, because the State law
requires all children to be success
fully vaccinated against smallpox be-
fore they can be enrolled in the public
schools. This is the advice of DR..
John S. Fulton, director of the State
Department of Health.
According to the estimates of the
State Department of Education, over
10000 children living in the counties
of Maryland will reach school age this
year, and will be eligible for admis-
sion to the schools. Health examina-
lions of prospective first graders, to
find out conditions that need atten-
ton, so that the children may enter
school without unnecessary physical
handicaps, were started by the Bu-
reau of Child Hygiene, working in CO.
operation with the Department of Ed
ucation, several years ago.
Two out of every three children
who have been examined so far, have
never been vaccinated against small
pox, according to a preliminary report
made to DR.. Fulton by DR.. J. H. M.
Knox, Jr., chief Of the Bureau of Child
Hygiene. Out of 1893 children from
four to seven years old, examined
during the month of June, only 342
had vaccination scars. The remain
ing $50 had never been protected
against smallpox
These figures were taken from re-
ports of child health conferences held
in fifteen counties, in widely separate
places, and are therefore regarded as
typical of the entire State. 1t is ac-
cordingly estimated that approx
mately 10000 of the prospective first
graders have never been vaccinated,
and therefore need to have this done
before they can be admitted to school.
Smallpox has been kept down in
Maryland" DR.. Fulton said in COM
menting on the figures, Through the
careful enforcement of our vaccina-
ton law. Within the last few years
there has been a serious fare-up of
smallpox in this country and the Uni
ted States has had the unenviable
reputation of having more cases than
have occurred in any other part of
the world with the exception of Brit
lsh India. People in this country are
so accustomed to be kept free from
devastating epidemics that they care
lessly neglect the means we have of
protecting ourselves. Nothing but
vaccination will prevent us from hay
ing the kind of outbreaks that have
terrified other parts of the country.
The old-fashioned family doctor used
to vaccinate the babe. IN the families
he attended as a matter of routine,
before they were a year old. That
this is no longer the case is indicated
by the examinations made by the
Bureau of Child Hygiene. 1t is there
fore necessary for the State Depart
ment of Health to see that the law re-
quiring children to be vaccinated be-
fore they can be enrolled in school, is
strictly enforced. Accordingly, my
advice to parents whose children will
enter school this fall, is to have the
children vaccinated now and not to
wait until the schools open to have it