Evening star., 1944-07-25
DC. Polio Conference
Slated ior Thursday;
Virginia Cases Rising
Emergency Wards Ready
! In Two Cities; Epidemic
In CoroIino Waning ~.

As infantile paralysis appeared TO
be waning in North Carolina but
increasing in Virginia, Health Off,
Ger George c. Rutland today an
nounced a conference on ways and
means Of meeting the polio problem
here will be held at IL am. Thurs
day at the new Municipal Building.
Invitations were going out this
morning to officials of hospitals.
medical societies and to pediatrt-
clans. The meeting will take place
In the conference room on the
sixth floor Of the Municipal Build
ing, with DR.. Ruhland presiding.
No new cases were reported here
overnight. However, one additional
case was reported In Montgomery
County and one in Prince Georges
County. Both cases we're at private
homes. So far this year there have
been 3 deaths out of l8 cases.
The polio epidemic which had
been centered largely in North Car
olina recently appeared to be sweep
ing northward into Virginia, accord
ing to reports by the Associated
Press.
Carolina Reports Fewer Cases.
At Raleigh, N. c., State health
authorities expressed the hope that
the downward trend in the epidemic,
which had been noticeable for the
last week, would continue and that
the outbreak possibly had reached
its peak there. Over the week end
only IL new cases were reported in
North Carolina, bringing to 373 the
number since June /. Forty-eigi1t
counties now are affected by the
outbreak, confined largely to the
Piedmont and Upper Piedmont
areas.
At Richmond, Va, the STATE
Health Department announced
emergency wards had been set up at
Roanoke Hospital and the Lynch
burg General Hospital after six new
cases were reported in the State.
DR.. I. c. Riggin. State health COM
missioner, said that a total of a
beds have been made available at
the two hospitals to take care of an
increase in the disease, which is ex-
pected to continue striking heavily
next month and possibly in Sep
tember.
New cases reported yesterday
brought the State total since June
to "a. Three of the new cases
reported were in Roanoke County,
one from Roanoke City, one from
Rockbridge and one from Bedford.
Meanwhile, John B. Middleton, a
field representative from the Ma
tional Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis, arrived in Richmond at
the invitation of DR.. E. C. Harper,
director Of the Virginia Crippled
Children's Bureau, to cooperate
with local authorities in the out
break. He was accompanied by
two technicians
DR.. H. H. Henderson, in charge of
the Bureau of Communicable Dis
eases. said that summer camps are
continuing to close.
Penicillin Being Used.
At Children's Hospital here pen
icillin and ultraviolet ray treatments
are being used in the case of Judith
Becker, 8, of 1874 Webster street
NV. Physicians emphasized that
this Is experimental treatment, but
there Is hope the two methods may
be helpful in this severe attack.
In the process of irradiation of
blood, a small quantity of blood is
removed from the patient, exposed
to ultraviolet ray, a doctor ex-
planned, and then returned to the
patients body. The ray is supposed
to weaken the virus causing in
fantlle paralysis. It is too early vet
to see any results from the treat
ment, a physician said.
Four-year-old Carolyn Burns was
reported today to be doing fairly
we'll at Children's Hospital. The
child, who lives at 2008 Powhatan
road, Brookside Manor. Prince
Georges County, Md. north of Hy-
attsville, was taken to the hospital
July 2l. Her address recently was
incorrectly printed by The Star as
Brookmont. which is in MONTGOMERY
County. Nd. So far as known there
are no cases of polio in Brookmont.
At Rockville, Md, DR.. v. L. Eli
colt, Montgomery County health
omcer, received from the Montgom-
cry County Council of the American
Legion a pledge from 800 Legion
naires Ito render any assistance you
may request in combating this afIlic.
ton"
-