Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-05-22
SCOUT TROOP
ADVISED OF
TYPHOID FEVER
DIR. r. H. Riley Recommends I'M
munizatiOn AS Most I'M
pOrtant During Summer
THREE SHOTS" OF THE
VACCINE WEEK APART

Boy and girl scouts, campfire girls
and all other prospective campers and
mixers are advised by DIR. R. H. Riley,
Director of the State Department OF
Health, to put "immunization against
typhoid" at the very head of the list
of things that must be attended to
promptly in preparation for this
years camping trip. If they have
been protected against typhoid re-
Gently, or within the last two years,
they will not need this advice.
"There is much less typhoid" DIR.
Riley said, "than there used to be. The
public has been-and is-safeguarded
against the disease in many ways.
The protection of public water sup
plies from pollution, the pasteuriza-
ton of milk, the steady Improvement
in household sanitation and general
hygiene, all serve as means Of defense.
But because of the nature of the di-
sease and of the fact that certain
number of those who have typhoid,
become Carriers of the infection, it
is still the source of much preven-
table sickness and of many unneces-
sary deaths. Vaccination against the
disease protects the individual against
invasions of the diseases from source
not covered in other protective meas
ures.
"You take typhoid by the way of
the mouth. You drink or eat the
germs that cause the disease, in water,
milk q food, contaminated with ty-
phoid germs that have been passed in
the discharges of somebody who has
had typhoid at some time. Human
Carriers of the germs and flies
winged carriers of the Infection, are
responsible for many of the cases.
Human carriers are persons who
are recovering from typhoid OF who
have had the disease at some time
sometimes only in very mild form
but who continue to pass the germs
of the diseases in their urine or in the
discharge from the bowels. A carrier
may be perfectly we'll, but may go on
passing the germs either regularly or
infrequently, and sometimes at in
tervals of many years. You can
readily see that carriers who are care
less in their personal habits can be
sources of great danger to others, es-
pecially in handling or preparing food
for others. If they neglect to wash
the hand thoroughly after they visit
the toilet and before preparing food
for the table they are likely to leave
the germs of the disease on any food
they handle. Some of the most SER
icus outbreaks of typhoid that have
occurred throughout this country have
been due to the contamination of food
by human carriers. Persons who are
known to be carriers are not permit
ted to serve as food handlers in pub
lie places.
Typhoid is no respecter of persons
and it is not limited to any group, but
it strikes hardest at young people
children, growing boys and girls,
young men and young women under
forty. 1 would like to urge all-es-
pecially young people-who are going
away on vacation trips or outings,
and who have not been immunized re-
Gently against the disease, to have
themselves protected against it before
they go.
"Three shots of the vaccine, given
week apart, are necessary to COM
plete the treatment. The State De-
partment of Health supplies the vac
cine, free of charge. Your only ex-
pense will be your doctors fee. AS it
takes some time for the treatment to
be effective throughout the system.