The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-05-21
CAMPERS AND HIKERS ARE
URGED TO BE IMMUNIZED
Typhoid Serum Should be At The
Head of List of Things Needed

Boy and girl scouts, campfire girls
and all other prospective campers and
mixers are advised by DR.. R. H. Riley,
Director of the State Department of
Health, to put Communication 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 pro-
tected against typhoid recently, or
within the last two years, they will not
need this advice.
"There is much less typhoid" DR..
Riley said, ethan there used to be. The
pubic has been-and is-safeguarded
against the disease in many ways. The
protection of public water supplies
from pollution, the pasteurization OF
milk, the steady improvement in house
hold sanitation and general hygiene, all
serve as means of defense. But be-
cause of the nature of the disease and
of the fact that certain number of
those who have had typhoid, become
carriers of the infection, it is still the
source of much preventable sickness
and of many unnecessary deaths. Vac
cination against the disease protects
the individual against invasions of the
disease from sources not covered IN
other protective measures.
"You take typhoid by the way Of
the mouth. You drink or eat the
germs that cause the disease, in water,
milk or food, contaminated with ty-
phoid germs that have been passed in
the discharges of somebody who has
had typhoid at some time. Human car
riers' of the germs and flies-winged
Carriers of the infection, are respon-
sible for many of the cases.
Human carriers are persons who
are recovering from typhoid or who
have had the disease at some time
sometimes only in very mild form
but who continue to pass the germs in
their discharges. A carrier may be per-
fectly we'll, but may go on. passing the
germs either regularly or infrequent-
ly, and sometimes at intervals of many
years. You can readily see that car
riers who are careless in their personal
habits can be sources of great danger
to others, especially in handling or in
preparing food for others. If they neg
lect to wash the hands Thoroughly after
they have visited the toilet and before
preparing food for the table they are
likely to leave the germs on any food
they handle. Some of the most seri-
Gus outbreaks of typhoid that have &C.
Cured throughout this country have
been due to the contamination Of food
by human carriers. Persons who are
known to be carriers are not permitted
to serve as food handlers in public
places.
"Typhoid is no respecter of persons
and it is not limited to any age group,
but it strikes hardest at young people
children, growing boys and girls,
young men and young women under
forty. / would like to urge all-espec-
tally young people-who are going
away on vacation trips and 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, my
advice is to go to your doctor or your
health officer and have it done without
further delay"