Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-07-26
Paralysis is
Taking Toll
In Minnesota

Infantile paralysis-that terrible
disease which cripples young children
who ordinarily appear blooming with
health-attacked scores of children in
Minnesota last year.
"The one peculiar thing about the
cases last year was that 80 per cent
of the cases occurred after July 1st,"
is the comment of the educational bull
letin issued by the Minnesota State
Medical association this week. "Why
this should be, scientific Investigations
do not disclose. One thing now is GER
tain, infantile paralysis is a germ dis
ease.
"The disease is improperly called
infantile paralysis since it may affect
adults as well as babies and older
children" declares the bulletin of the
Medical Association.
Attacks Healthy.
"Of all the causes actively operating
to produce cripples among our chill
dren today, infantile paralysis has the
greatest number to it's credit. In
sidiOus and variable as the infection
is, it usually attacks those who are
in apparent health. Children sicken
with signs of an infection often taken
to be tonsilitis or influenza. There
may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
slight fever, rapid pulse and sweating.
Rarely is there a chill. Headache,
stiffness of the muscles of the neck,
pains in various parts of the body
without warning or apparent cause,
and general muscular tenderness are
common but in no wise distinctive
manifestations.
Unfortunately, there often is moth
ing in the early combination of symp-
toms of this disease which indicates
it's specific nature. The first charac-
teristic sign is paralysis which, in the
majority of cases, is preceded by a
combination of widely variable and
indefinite symptoms. Mothers some
times state that their children were
sleeping too much and when they
awakened them in the morning, they
found them with some limb paralyzed.
Begins in Lower Limbs.
Generally, the paralysis begins in
the lower extremities involving one or
both legs. But it may begin in the
arms and at times the first and pos
sibly only evidence is in some of the
muscles of the face, neck or trunk.
Paralysis sometimes progresses either
upward or downward and if the
respiratory muscles become involved,
death is imminent.
at must have occurred to you al
ready that the control of the spread
of such an infection is very difficult.
The quarantine period is usually
three weeks and should be carefully
observed. Quarantine or isolation af-
ter the disease is insufficient since
the danger comes less often from the
presumably well. Success in check
ing the spread of infantile paralysis,
in the event of a threatened epidemic,
will depend upon how suspicious peo-
pie are of even the slightest signs of
symptoms indicative of beginning of
tonsilitis, influenza, or summer COM
plaint,' and how carefully they exclude
from school and society all individu-
ais who are either living with or who
have in any way come in contact with
a known case. All articles handled by
or used about the sick room must be
burned or disinfected. Until we have
definite information on the point of
carrying the virus in the clothing, in
our judgment, it would be wise for
health authorities to demand the
thorough sterilization of all clothing
worn by those who come in contact
with active cases."