Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-06-18

individual case. With what in
formation we have, fairly effec'
tive control measures can be es-
tablished If people will only have
confidence in their health Of
ficials and follow the directions
that they do give. There Is al
ways a question raised about
whether or not children should
attend summer camps, schools,
public gatherings, picnics, and
what not, and whether or not
they should associate with their
playmates or restrict their con-
facts exclusively to adults. The
best answer that can be given Is
that when infantile paralysis is
in a community the pattern of
contacts made by children should
not be changed. For example, If
school Is in session, don't close
it. If it is not in session, children
have developed a certain rela-
tionship with those in their class
rooms and those that they asso-
ciate with on the playground.
The pattern is very well estab-
lished. If school should then be
closed, the whole pattern of as
sociation would be changed
They would be associating with
different age groups, with many
of the young children not in
school. They would be going to
movies and Fairgrounds for en-
tertainment. and would be meet
ing children from other neigh
borhoods than their own. On the
other hand if school is not in ses-
sion the children have developed
a pattern of contacts in their own
.neighborhood which would be
definitely changed by school at.
tendance.
When infantile paralysis Is
present, parents should keep
children from public places.
They shouldn't go to movies,
to Fairgrounds or to other
places where large group Of
children not from their imme-
diate neighborhood are likely
to be met. BY and large, travel
by bus and streetcar should be
reduced, though IL would be
most incOnvenient and pos
sibly even absurd to prohibit
the travel of children on pub
lie conveyances, because after
all adults ride on them and
many adults are still suscept.
ible to infantile paralysis.
Many people debate whether
or not to send their children
to camps or to relatives in dis
tant cities. If this is desired, 1t
is perfectly all right. However,
the wise thing to do would be
to plan the child's time so that
he would remain In that one,
location for the duration of
the infantile paralysis out
break, because as soon rs he
Is brought home his whole pat
tern of contacts changes and
one never knows who In the
new group will be just coming
down with the disease.
If these precautions have been
followed, how are we going to
know whether our child has in
fantile paralysis If he should be-
come sick2 We must remember
that whether infantile paralysis
is present IN a community or not
there are going to be about the
same number of cases of the
common cold, influenza, measles,
whooping cough and other chill
dren's diseases, so that If a
youngster develops a running
nose, fever, headache, stiff
ness in back, arms or legs or any
other symptoms which show he
isn't feeling well, the probabili-
ties are that he has something
else beside infantile pralysis
Just to play safe and to avoid the
delay that so often causes seri-
Gus damage, it would be wise tc
have your physician decide just
what 1t is that this child has, be
cause in any case a sick
youngster should have care
and should be procted from
other infections when he is
sick. Alas, in the presence
of infantile paralysis, it is
more important than ever that
your children should be kept
from playing with the neighbor
children who happen to be show
ing some indications of i'll health
at least until the cause of that
Ill health is determined and you
know it is nothing that is going
to cause serious illness in your
children.
For practical purposes, then,
the best advice that public
health administrators can give
you on the control of out
breaks of infantile paralysis Is
based on these three factors:
first, try to maintain as close