Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-06-17


money TO help save Kathie.
Thousands of m o h erS and
fathers called up newspaper
offices and radio stations every
,fsSV minutes to find out if the
sd had been rescued. When
sne was found dead, many oi
them felt almost the grief they
would have experienced if they
had known her personally. They
said, This must not happen
again. Our children all ouI
children = must be safeguardec
against such calamities.
OF course we all agree with
that. But I'd like to know some
thing about the mothers and fa-
theirs who joined so wholeheart-
edly in the demand that all chill.
dren be protected against unnec.
essary injury and death. I'd like
to know how many of those par.
ents are doing all they can to
protect their own children.
1t need not have happened
Those are tragic words, wher
they are spoken about the death
of child. Today let's talk about
some of these deaths that neeo
not happen-deaths of children
in Toledo that could and should
be prevented. 1t may truly be
said that practically every acci.
dent could be prevented, if rea.
sonable precautions were taken
And practically every case oi
communicable disease could be
either prevented before it hap
pens, or rendered non-dangerous
and non-fatal by proper medical
care.
BY communicable diseases
mean such things as tuberculo-
sis, pneumonia, diphtheria, mea-
sles and whooping cough. With
the exception of accidents, these
communicable diseases are the
chief cause of death in young
children of school age. Yet, to-
,ctuy, no child needs to die oi
caIhtheria. No child needs to
die of whooping cough.
Every mother feels that she
would do anything possible to
protect her child against unnec-
essary illness and suffering. But
how many mothers are neglect
ing to do just that-to take ad-
vantage of the safe and simple
means of protection that are
available? You would not know
ingly let your child play in a
vacant lot where he might fall
into a disused we'll. You would
not let him handle dynamite
Yet your child may be exposed
to dangers as great as these.
What are you doing to protect
him against the hidden dangers
the dangers of communicable
disease?
On At this time of year, the Par
ent Teacher Association and
other organizations interested in
the promotion of child health
urge us to begin taking steps for
the safeguarding of children
who will start to school next
fall - the five-year-olds who
will be entering kindergarten,
and the six-year-olds who will
enter the first grade. That will
be very big moment in the life
of your child. 1t will mark a
basic change in his mode of life.
Every child should be vacci-
mated against smallpox and i'm
munized against diphtheria dur
ing the first year of his life.
Smallpox vaccination should be
repeated every five years. Even
If your child received this pro-
lection in babyhood, he should
emf vaccinated again before he
~lsarts to school. Vaccination is
safe, simple and sure. You owe
1t to your child to give him this
protection before he starts to
school.
Your youngster is even more
likely to be exposed to diph-
liberia than to smallpox for the
simple reason that there is more
diptheria "going around" Your
child may be in real danger from
diphtheria carriers. Most people
today have heard about typhoid
carriers, but many don't even
know that there are also a num-
Der of diphtheria carriers at
large. These carriers are people
who have had the diseaSe-often
light case of it. They recover,
but they still carry diphtheria
germs in their throats and noses.
Diphtheria immunization, like
smallpox vaccination, should be
1given during the first year of
life. An additional booster"
dose is necessary before the
child enters school. That's one
thing to ask your doctor about
when you take your pre-school
youngster in for his medical
checkup.
Every baby should be pro-
tected against whooping cough |
before he is three months old |
Babies are the chief victims of
Whooping cough. But whooping
cough, like diphtheria, can be
carried home by school children
to baby brothers and sisters.
One of the so-called minor
ailments" that we all wish we
could prevent is the all-too-
common cold. It's true that we
don't possess any universal pre-
,yentive for colds, such as we