Evening star., 1929-10-06
MALARIA IN ROME
FAST DECREASING
Only 9 Deaths in 1923 in
1867 Cases, Against
ID in 1927.
BY ANDRUE BERDING.

ROME, October GPD.-Ronie's en-
eny for centuries, which wasted armies,
reduced cities and decirnated the pop
ulation time and Alphabetically, dreaded
malaria-is fast being reduced TO mere
shadow of its former force.
Figures just issued by the governors
health offlce show how complete has
been the victory of the sanitary forces
From the inlmemorial millions OF
mosquitoes rose from swanpy lands
around Rome and piled up the malaria
death list among the inhabitants.
Only Nine Deaths in 1928.
But there were cnly nine deaths in
1928 and 1857 cases. Two years ago
there were IA deaths and 1.240 cases.
And 10 years ago the deaths were in the
hundreds and the cases In the tens of
thousands.
The struggle of the Governor Of Rome
corresponds to that of Gen.. Goethals
when he began to build the Panama
Canal. And it is meeting with the same
success.
Some years ago all the dangerous
swamps and ponds around Rome were
drained. The swarms of mosquitoes
which bred there perished or sought
other homes
Since then the work of the govern
ment has been divided into educational
and preventive channels. Most OF 1t
centers around the anti-malarial hos
pital of Marchiafava. named after Prof.
Senator Ettore Marchiafava, a veteran
physician In Rome.
Decrease Vulnerability.
The government also takes groups OF
50 students from rural schools and sends
them to sea or mountain health resorts,
in company with similar groups from
city schools. When they return to their
homes their vulnerability to malaria is
considerably decreased.
Other groups are taken to clinics and
taught methods of malaria prevention.
Instruction is constantly given in the
schools. This Summer the school chill
dren of Acilia, Cecchina. Magliana,
Pontemammolo, Settecamini and Tore
nuova did not show a single case OF
fever because they took the anti-malaria
prophylactic. The same service is rem
dered orphan asylums. OF 80 children
in one class not one had fever, although
20 had been susceptible to 1t before they
took the prophylsctic.
Examination of blood Is carried on
constantly at the Central Laboratory.
Three thousand persons sent samples OF
their blood to the laboratory to be ex-
anined during the present Summer.
Some 900 pounds of quinine prophy-
Tactic were used.
War on Mosquitoes.
The direct war of the government
against the mosquitoes is carried on
without let-up. The mosquito casualties
read like casualty lists in the Great War
and are just as heavy. Through mos
quito traps and other devices the gov
eminent captured on only one sector"
at Ostia Antica, near the sea, 32,807
mosquitoes last year.
The commanders-in-c chief of the gov
eminent forces are Prince Boncompagni-
Ludovisi, governor of Rome; Prince AL
dobrandini and Francis Ceribelli, sani-
tary engineer.
Gov oncompagni-LudoviSi has OPEN
ed two courses of malariology, one for
teachers in the rural schools and one
to instruct doctors and nurses. The
Governor of Rome and his sanitary Of
flcers have been hammering home the
point that If patients will only call a
doctor the moment they experience
symptoms Of malaria they can be saved.
But the sanitary department is not
yet satisfied. Nine deaths and 1857
cases is little compared to hundreds of
deaths and tens of thousands of cases,
but the department believes that in a
few years there will be no deaths and
only score or so of cases. 1t is toward
this end that Rome is working.