The Daily Alaska empire., 1940-03-31
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL
 WORK E VITAL
Special Emphasis Placed Upon Tuberculosis and
 VenereaI Diseases
Division of Communicable Disease Control

infectious CT communicable diseases. This work is embracing, includ- ing all diseases which may be trans mitted from man to man, animal 10 animal, or to man through his en- vircnment. In order to carry out this work, close cooperation is re- qlired between this and the other Divisions of the Territorial Depart ment Of Health Special emphasls is placed on the major communl- cable disease problems of Alaska, such as tuberculosis and venereal diseases.
 In order to properly evaluate the work of the Department of Health and direct efforts where they are most needed, it is necessary that the Division of Communicable Disease Control be notified at all times of the presence of contagion in every community. In order to accom- plish this, it is required by the Health Department that all physi- clans, nurses and teachers report immediately the presence of any communicable diseases in their To- calities. To prevent the spread of these diseases the Public Health Nurses are notified to carry out such measures of isolation or quar- antine as may be necessary This includes of course, the searching out of all known contacts of the in fected person.
 Auditor Cooperates
 Through the cooperation of the Territorial Auditor twho is also the Territorial Registrar of Vital Sta tistics). this Division receives copies of all birth and death certificates registered in the Territory. Valua- ble information is derived from these reports. which aids control pro- grams. By comparing the reported deaths of any communicable con- dition with the known reported cases (morbidity reports) the Dl- vision can ascertain the death rate from any particular cause. We can thereby lower the number of deaths from these particular diseases by directing our efforts to control the causes. Other information gained from the study of morbidity and mortality statistics is given to the various officials of the Department of Health to be acted upon at their discretion.
 Some of the major activities of this Division are outlined as follows:
 l. Compilation of mOrbidity and Mortality statistics: AS indicated above, the major activities of the Health Department as a whole are dependent upon these statistics. It is only through comprehensive knowledge of the causes of sickness and death in the community that steps can be taken to control these factors
 2. Control of epidemics: When ever indicated, it is the duty of the Director of the Division of Con- municable Disease Control to inveS- tigate and determine the cause of large or unusual outbreaks of the disease. In this work, the Division of Communicable Disease Control cooperates very closely with the Di- vision of Public Health Laborator- ies and the Division of Public Health Engineering. Adequate records are kept of such investigations and such steps as may be necessary to control future similar outbreaks are taken whenever feasible.
 3. Quarantine and isolation: This work in most instances is carried out for the Health Department by the local Public Health Nurses working in cooperation with the To- cal Health Officers and Deputy Commissioners of Health.
 i. Immunization clinics: Working through the local Public Health Nurses, local physicians, school teachers and other agencies, immu- nizaticn clinics are being carried out in the Territory at all times. All biologicals are administered under the supervision of the Division of Communicable Disease Control, and are distributed free by the Division of Public Health laboratories Per- manent records are kept in the files of all individuals immunized.
 5. Tuberculosis Control: Free drugs are furnished to all physicians in the Territory for the treatment of venereal diseases. The problem of venereal disease control is pe- culiar, in that in order to make a patient non infectious, the patient must be treated For this reason the Health Department established a fund last year to pay for the treatment of indigent white patients. This money is available to all the physicians in the Territory on ap- plication to the Division of Con- municable Disease Control.
 :. Public Health Education:
 A constant educational program is carried out by members of this Division, as well as by the staff of the entire H alth Department, through lectures, private visits to nurses and physicians, furnishing free pamphlets and other educa- tional material showing health films vt al fo