Evening star., 1943-12-14
0fficiaIsbar
Bus Congestion
ToCombatF Flu
Survey Under Way tc
Find if Epidemic
Is Subsiding

W ueocl lIllIIle whether Ine epldem(
OF Influenza is increasing or dimin.
ishing, officials took measures tc
prevent overcrowding of streetcars
and buses and to assure adequate
ventilation.
At a conference late yesterday be.
tween members of the Public Utilities
Commission. Health Department
officials and officers of the CAPITA
Transit Co. and of suburban bus
lines, it was decided to instruct
motormen and drivers to keer
vehicles at their rated capacity oil
standing room.
The Health Department survey wa,
not expected to be completed before
tonight or tomorrow After a simila,
survey last week, the department
estimated 10000 persons in the Dis.
trlct had been stricken with the
malady since its onset late ir
November.
Since then, officials said. no ac.
curate information has been avail.
able on the total number of cases
and 1t was not known today whether
the peak has been reached The
only indication was a report from
the Board of Education that the
number of absenses in the elemen-
tary schools had increased from
28.2 per cent last Friday to 325 per
cent yesterday.
Flu Causes One Death
One death from influenza was re-
ported to the Bureau of Vital Sta
tlstlcs, that of Charles J. Davis, 40
colored, of the TOO block of Pleas
ant court S,W. Physicians reported
however, that the epidemic con-
tlnued in mild form and few pa
tients were developing pneumonia
or other complications.
! DR.. John B. Nichols, digging into
the records, recalled that in Octo-
Der, 1918, alone. during the great
influenza epidemic, there were
l ,568 deaths here. In November OF
that year, deaths dropped to ITS
but they rose to 423 in December
OF 5000 deaths from all causes
during that year, 1880 were at
tributed to influenza and its COM
! plicationS
/ United States Health Department
/ physicians reported "a mild form OF
respiratory ailment" prevalent in
epidemic proportions in some sec
tlonS OF the country. In the hardest
MT sections. including cities of the
East and Middle West. one in every
10 persons was i'll, the Associated
Press reported War plants were
hard hit in some sections.
District health officers said at the
conference over street cars and
buses that overcrowding of vehicles
was one of the principal dangers
OF spreading the disease further
Because of war conditions. the
transit company had received per-
mission from the PUG to load
vehicles beyond peacetime limits.
Ill Urged to Stay Home.
Emphasizing the necessity for COW
erlng sneezes and coughs. health Of
flclals urged persons who feel few
erlsh to stay at home. They ex-
pressed the view that opening VIM
doWs in cold weather to ventilate
the vehicles would cause more harm
than good.
Inc company has sent notices To
us ous operators stating that their
Vehlcles must be properly venti-
lated in all kinds of weather .
The regulations require that during
the months Of November to March
inclusive, the temperature inside
the buses must be kept at about
so degrees Fahrenheit.
Should bus become overheated
or the ventilating system fail to
function properly, heat must be
turned off and report made to first
supervisor and bus must be turned
in"
100 Of Drivers Sick.
1t was explained that a tempera
ture of so degrees in an empty bus
rose 25 to 80 degrees when it was
croWed, The transit company has
already started to clean the stanch-
ions in its vehicles with disinfec-
tants. Already 265 or 10 per cent
OF the companys operators are on
the sick list.
among those attending the con-
terence were Chairman James A
Flanagan of the PUG, Assistant En-
glneer Commissioner Charles w
kutz, member of the PUG: DR.. Dan
lei l.. Seckinger, assistant District
health officer; DR.. James Cumming
chief OF the Bureau of Communi-
cable Diseases. and Edward Merrill
president Of the transit COMPANY
Although the illness among oper-
ators has cut down the number OF
vehicles in operation. 1t was sale
that the reduced loads as a result
OF widespread illness has offset the
loss.
Increase in Prince Georges.
Montgomery County health off.
clals said, meanwhile, the epidemic
mas not reached its peak in that
county, while in Prince Georges
County it was believed the epidemic
was decreasing in intensity.
DR.. V. L. Ellicott, Montgomery
County health officer, said the dis
ease seemed worse in the suburban
areas Of the county. He said attend
ance at some suburban schools was
reported off by a third because OF
the diesase.
Prince Georges County health of.
ficlals said 16 doctors reported YES
terday a total of 1,751 cases in the
county and school officials said at
tendance was off about 80 per cent
In Alexandria, Va, school officials
reported that 1,776 students were
absent yesterday as compared to
1887 absentees Friday. Health Of
hclals reported little change in the
epidemic
DR.. Howard Fisher, head of the
Arlington County school health de-
partment, reported that absentee
ism because of the flu had reached
approximately IA per cent of total
school enrolment Fairfax County
school officials reported that no fig
ures were available, but that the
epidemic was severe" in some parts