Evening star., 1946-08-10
County Health Officer
Calls for Precautions
To Halt Polio Dancer

A warning that there are no active
preventive measures against infan-
tile paralysis, in the face OF 10 polio
cases in smile radius in Prince
Georges County, including three
new cases reported yesterday, has
been announced by County Health
Of1cer DR.. John M. Byers.
Residents of the county were ad-
vised Of several precautions, but the
health officer said none is a true
preventive"
A major precaution, DR.. Byers
said, would be to avoid overfatigue
and chilling, especially among chill
dren; keeping children away from
crowded areas, staying away from
polluted streams, emphasis on per-
sonal cleanliness and pure food and
water, and avoiding operations on
the nose and mouth at this time of
the year.
Milk, Water Safety.
DR.. Byers said people who drink
chlorinated water and pasteurized
milk "can be assured they're safe
There Is no need to boil water, he
declared.
The latest cases include an g.
year-old boy of Lanham, a Is
month-old infant boy of Greenbelt
and a 14-year-old East Riverdale
boy, whose sickness had previously
baop 1Ipreporto od h,,t u,ho ,,ol 49,,
i'll for several weeks, according to
DR.. Byers.
He said diagnosis of the case
OF 6-year-old Greenbelt girl, who
was reported under observation for
polio yesterday, had not resulted
in any definite findings and was
not considered in the county total
DIR. Byers said he still had nc
proof as to whether the county's
contaminated sewage in streams was
to blame. but said cases SO fal
seemed to indicate lull during
rainy spells when the streams are
flushed with fresh rain water. Most
cases were reported during dry
spells when more sewage than creek
water is present in the streams
he said. .
The health officer said the county
did not have sufficient funds OF
equipment to investigate the matter
thoroughly, his reason for calling
upon DR.. Kenneth Maxcy, profes-
sor of epidemiology at the Johns
Hopkins Universiay School of Hy-
giene and Public Health and the
National Foundation for Infantile
Paralysis yesterday for assistance.
Would Require $4,000.
DR.. Byers said it would take al
least $4,000 to start such a project
and would take considerable study
Meanwhile, residents of Greenbelt
where six polio cases, the largest
single number for any one com
munity, have been reported this
year, were reassured by Town Man
ager James Gobbel that the town
has a clean bill of health" and
there is no occasion for discon-
tinuing any group activities in the
town.
In statement following a con-
ference with Dr. Byers yesterday
Mr.. Gobbel said there is mo cause
for alarm at this time although
he added, DR.. Byers had suggested
considering the advisability OF post
poning the town fair scheduled to
open Thursday.
Mr.. Gobbel said he would inform
town officials of the suggestion
which was intended merely to point
out that large numbers of people
would attend the fair, thus increas-
ing the amount of personal contact
between those possibly having the
disease
A report prepared by visiting
United States Public Health Service
consultant, who last month inspect
ed sanitary facilities at the town,
listed all eating, drinking, refuse
and sewage facilities there as sat
isfactory." The sanitation status of
the swimming pool was considered
good" and the report stated that
discontinuing playground activities
was not necessary and 'psycholog-
ically inadvisable,' Mr. Gobbel ex-
Y,1oinoI