The Washington times., 1929-08-30
DIPHTHER|A WAR
PUSHED IN
JERSEY

NEW YORK, Aug. s0.--Reports
from 52s LEGAL boards Of health for
the year 1928 showed that diph.
liberia prevention campaigns had
been carried on in every county In
New Jersey during the year and
that more than 10000 children were
inocuiated with toxin.antitoxin at
public clinics during this period.
This number, says a bulletin Of
the State health department, is al
most equal to the total number OF
children who received similar treat.
ments in the preceding seven years,
which figure was approximately
l3S 900. Public offers of toxin-anti-
toxin or toxoid treatments had been
made by 200 of the $50 cities,
boroughs and townships OF the state
up to January, 1929. Many other
places took similar action during
the early months of this year, but
the reports from these municipal.
tiles are still incomplete. 1t may
safely be stated, however, the bulle.
tin declares, that at least 275 600
children have been given toxin
antitoxin at local public clinics in
New Jersey.
Has Wide Range
The number of municipalities
which have carried on active cam.
paigns vary widely in the different
counties. In Monmouth county every
place in which a public school Is
maintained has offered active i'm.
munization against diphtheria at
least once and most of them have
done so twice during two or more
years. Cape May, Essex, Hudson
and Ocean counties are in close
race for second place, according to
the bulletin, all but a very few
municipalities in each of these coun.
ties being listed in the group which
has declared war on diphthcria. In
many counties, one-half or more Of
the local communities have Offered
toxin,antitoxin at public clinics.
The number. of children given pro-
lection In each Of the 81 counties
varies greatly, owing TO differences
in population and in the activity Of
local organizations in conducting
preventive campaigns. The densely
! populated counties in ths north
eastern corner of the State have by
far the greatest number of children
protected against diphtheria, hut it
says, that some of the rural coun-
ties have q higher per cent of the
school.child population immunized.
5O,eG0 Treated
| The cities Of Essex where toxin
antitoxin clinics have been con-
Quoted for five or six years, have
a record of more than $4,000 chill
dren treated.
The campaign in Hudson county
has been inaugurated more recently,
but reports from local health boards
state that about $4,000 persons have
had toxin.antitoxin. Passaic county
stands third with more than 27,000
children treated prior to January
Of this year.
"A very large majority Of the
| children who have received toxin.
antitoxin at public clinics through.
out the State up to- this time have
been children of school age," says
the bulletin. However, in many
local campaigns last year, an in
creased effort to impress parents
with the desirabiIity of giving toxin
antitoxin to children between one
and five years old was shown.
That such emphasis is prop ,rly
placed all will agree, for large
share of the cases and most of
the deaths from diphtheria occur in
the pre-school age group. The next
few years will probably see greater
and greater efforts to have children
immunized long before they enter
| school,"