Evening star., 1932-08-18
VACCINE SOUGHT
TO FIGHT INVASION
OF SPOTTED FEVER
Public Health Service May
Seek InocuIation of Millions
in East.
SUPPLIES OF SERUM
STILL VERY LIMITED
Best Advice for Present Is to Re-
move Any Ticks Found After
Visits to Woods.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
Vaccination of all farmers and their
families in the Virginia Maryland area
where the dreaded spotted fever virus
is at large probably will be urged by the
Public Health Service next Spring.
Plans are under way to run the vac
cine laboratory in Montana under high
pressure to manufacture a sufficient
supply for the Eastern area, now in
vaded by the virus, for the next season.
The period during which spotted fever
infection will be at all likely this year
will be over in about two weeks. it was
explained, although occasional cases
may occur until frost.
Little Vaccine Available.
At present there is very little of the
precious vaccine available The only
practical safeguard for persons in this
part of the country, 1t was explained,
is to keep out of woods and brush
patches as much as possible. and to go
over the whole body carefully, when
returning from the country, in search
for ticks. The general alarm caused
by two deaths in the District of Co.
lumbia during the past few days has
brought many requests for information.
The vaccine Is manufactured only by
the Government and only at the Mon
tana laboratory. Because of the ex-
treme danger encountered in its manu-
facture no commercial drug firm has
been wiling to undertake it. It is a
very slow, difficult process. Three
public health officers already have lost
their lives at this work. Up to the
present the Government agency has
taken on itself the responsibility of
supplying sufficient vaccine for all the
people in the restricted, thinly popu-
lated Rocky Mountain area. The popu-
lation Is only from 10000 to 1900. But
there is population of about 1000 900
in the Eastern region where the virus
Is known to exist and, If all are to be
made immune, the demand for vac
cine would be far out of proportion to
the possible supply. 1t has been DEM
onstrated, however, that the Rocky
Mountain vaccine is cfficacious against
the Eastern form of the disease. which
comes from a slightly different kind Of
tick.
Death Rate Is Low.
The Public Health Service, 1t was
stated, has had no hesitation in urg-
ing the vaccination of everybody in
the affected Western areas. Whole
sale vaccinations in the East, how
ever, constitute a different problem.
The incidence of the malady has been
Iowa maximum of only about 200
out OF 100000. The death rate also
IS low compared to that in some OF
the Western areas. The probability of
the disease being contracted by a city
resident is slight, except when on va
cation or in the cases of children
playing in the bushes.
The Public Health Service, It was
explained, has consistently urged that
city people get out In the open coun-
try and the sunshine as much as pos
sible during the Summer, but the
present development places it in the
paradoxical position of calling atten-
tion to the danger in following this
advice. The disease. so far as known,
can be contracted only from the
actual bite of tick. 1t is not passed
from person to person. Only a few
ticks, II is probable, have yet acquired
the virus in this area. The first cases
were reported only two years ago and
before the ultra microscopic organism
could infect all these insects.
Remove Ticks Quickly.
The best advice that can be given
for the rest of the season, it was stated
at the Public Health Service, Is to get
any tick off the body as quickly as
possible and stop worrying. 1t is not
known whether the virus Is transmit
ted in sufficient quantity to cause the
disease instantaneously with the tick
bite or whether an appreciable time
must elapse before enough gets into
the blood. The probability is, how
ever, that the less time the insect
remains the less damage it Is likely
to do.
Even bites from ticks known to
carry the virus do not always cause
the disease, it is pointed out. Some
thing may depend on the physical
condition of the person bitten.
Vaccination, it has been demon
strated in the Rocky Mountain area
is a very potent defense, cutting down
enormously both the rate of incidence
and severity of the disease. 1t must
be repeated every year, however, and
under present conditions. would be
quite expensive. unless carried on by
a public agency. Vaccination consists
Of hyperdermic injection Of a prep
aration made from the ground-ur
bodies of infested ticks which have
been suitably treated. The virus Is
transmitted by heredity in the ticks
Thus the preparation of the vaccine
involves the Matching OF billions OF
eggs laid by ticks who have fed or