The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-04-12

Waterbury reported the largest number of cases of scarlet fever in New Haven county last week, 13 by count of the local department of health, making a total for the month of 18 cases. There were 32 cases of the disease in Waterbury during March.
 Dr. Edward J. Godfrey, city health officer, commenting today on the rapid increase of the ailment here, said that the form of the disease is mild and, thus, it has became more prevalent through the lack of at- tention to it by the patients.
 Persons with sore throats or who have rash start should confer im- mediately with their family doctors, however" Dr. Godfrey declared. "While the incidence of the disease here shows preponderantly mild cases, still they should be watched carefully to prevent further spread of the contagion."
 Gains In State
 Scarlet fever continued prevalent through the state last week, but de- creased last week from the week be- fore was from 143 cases to 139.
 Diphtheria has lessened although the state department announced considerable increase for the first quarter of 1888 over the correspond mig period last year. Waterbury re- ported no diphtheria, however, four cases of labor pneumonia, one Of measles, and no whooping cough.
 During the first three months of 1888, 70 cases of diphtherla were re- ported in Connecticut as compared with 40 cases in the corresponding period last year which brought the highest diphtheria incidence in the past six years, and this increase indicates pressing need for great CT stress on immunization proced- ures, the state department of health reported in its weekly bulletin last night.
 Using statistical table, the de- partment pointed not only to sharply rising curve of cases among children last year as compared with 1886, but also to growing tendency in recent years toward larger pro- portion of diphtheria among adults.
 Adults Affected
 The increase among adults had been somewhat expected, but the startling jump in cases among chll- dren serves to emphasize the inn portance of more complete im- munization of children where such procedure has not been thoroughly carried out over a period of years, the bulletin said. Since diphtheria can be prevented by immunization, it is possible to control it's preva- lence by this procedure.
 Arrest of the increased preva- lence, the bulletin declared, rests in large measure with parents, health officials, physicians and others in position to carry out ex- tensive immunization procedures among susceptible people. The Schick test can be used to deter mine who are susceptible anC who thus need to be immunized. Every child should be given immunizing treatment before it is a year old, and given the Schick test to make certain that it is immune. It is considered advisable, the bulletin continued, to have the Schick test given again when the child enters school and again when he enters high school, and perhaps at inter- vals during adult life, since the proportion of cases among adults has been growing.
 Immunity
 Reason for the greater proportion of incidence in adults is rather simply explained, the bulletin stat ed. Before immunization was gen. erally employed. people acquired immunity to diphtheria by having