Show 10— IIm Hanld Jawrnal Logan UUh Wednecday March 31 1971 Flu Inoculation Proposal Promoted They Work For The Welfare Of Those Identified With Leprosy WASHINGTON (UPI) nationwide inoculation program could save the nation from a major flu epidemic with serious health and economic consequences the administration told Congress Tuesday Dr Theodore Cooper assistant HEW secretary for health told a House apsubcommittee propriations By Rafael Bermudei CARVILLE La (UPI) -Julia El wood and Iiuia Boudreaux have little in common except for the misfortune that brougit them decades ago to the only hospital for lepers in the continental United States Hie circumstances that first them to the US Public Health Hospital at Carville drastically changed their lives and outlook toward life Now both are dedicated to improving the lot of those inflicted with leprosy Mrs El wood 37 a Mexican-Americfrom Elsa Tel is a teacher Boudreaux 61 a brought Louisiana Cajun is “But for the first time” he said “we believe that we have received a warning” of a threatened epidemic and should cash in on the opportunity to prevent it It was the administration’s first testimony on behalf of Ford's request last week for nationwide immunization 1918-191- “We believe that virtually the total population of the country Is vulnerable to infection from swine influenza because only a very small portion of the population has had previous exposure and infection by similar viruses" Cooper said The last world flu epidemic ir 1968 and from a different virus strain caused nearly 33000 deaths u First Federal Savings has some fun gifts to help you do something Service Mrs El wood was released as a patient in 1962 but Biblical times one" against a possible swine influenza virus similar to the one implicated in a worldwide 9 outbreak in Cooper said the program dwarfs in scope even the massive attack on polio in the 1950s It calls for full participation of private medicine voluntary organizations all levels of government and virtually every citizen in the country he testified Springtime in Cache V alley can be a richer time for you! editor of a 600Mkirculation magazine Although his leprosy was checked 23 years ago Boudreaux a widower remains voluntarily as one of 350 patients at the hospital operated by the U S Public Health returned after earning her college degree to teach language arts and live with her husband and five children While Mrs El wood serves the patients as a teacher Boudreau publishes The Star in which his chief objective is to dispel the horror and myths surrounding leprosy since the administration realizes the $135 million pi oject “is a bold (I an South -P- resident Ford's plan for a about SHOWN IN HER classroom is Mrs Julia Elwood who entered the hospital for lepers In 1951 and was released in 1962 After earning that spring fever Start an account or add to your savings now and choose your her college degree she returned to teaching language arts The cornerstone of his struggle is to gain universial acceptance of the term Han- cases — with most in the plications of the word leprosy mitted to the hospital They go sen’s Disease for leprosy continental US occurring in were as painful as the disease and come as they please and staff members at the southern parts of itself Patients many in their own cars Some “To me it would have made work outside the hospital and Carville refer to the disease Louisiana Texas Florida and California The rarity of the all the difference if it had been others attend Louisiana State simply as HD as Hansen’s Di--" University about 30 miles “The terms leprosy and disease in this country makes said die — both we consider away in Baton Rouge it difficult to diagnose leper suffer of None the of Most of the hospital consists because the patients objectionable “I was treated for just about Biblical connotation" said everything uniter the sun” the mythical symptoms of of a series of two-stoBoudreaux ‘‘It's obvious why Boudreaux said “I was even fingers ears and noses that buildings connected by a off Many patients such network of wide cave-lik- e we prefer the term Hansen's treated for syphilis Most of drop as Mrs Elwood show no halls Patients make their way Disease It carries no them (treatments) were destigma” trimental I went from me physical signs of the disease through the 14 miles of Those who do are Public and official attitudes doctor to another for a hallways on foot ancient rusty year” older like Boudreauxusually He bicycles which they own themtoward HD have changed Mrs Elwood’s case was not contacted HD prior to treat- selves motorized wheelchairs considerably since Boudreaux difficult to diagnose Her ment with sulfone drugs was and wheelchairs peddled by was sent to Carville in 1934 at had contacted grandmother 9 blinded and lost use of most of hand Then barbed a wire age leprosy two years earlier and fence kept patients in the his fingers Many patients work at were members family hospital and a Quarantine flag familiar with the symptoms Leprosy normally begins various tasks in the hospital kept outsiders out The fence “I had a little patch on my with a loss of feeling in an area which has a craft shop of the skin The loss of senand flag were removed in the knee where I had lost senmanufacturing 15000 fishing 1950s and patients come and is lures a week that are sold sitivity usually responsible sitivity” she said “I made for the crippling associated throughout the nation go from the hospital as they the pin prick test I went to a with HD Without pain to warn Patients spend their time please to I had ask dermatologist Boudreaux a native of him to check for leprosy It them patients easily injure doing much the same as other themselves and the injuries people including attending nearby Donaldson ville said it took a lot of courage to do that took doctors a year before because I knew in the back of often can go untreated until such hospital organizations as they diagnosed his case as my mind what it was I just permanent disabililty results the Lions Gub and American Untreated HD can cause Legion wanted to have it confirmed leprosy The hospital offers daily “When Ileft home and came “I was only 15 years old severe skin lesions damage to here my sisters and brothers when this happened so it was the nervous system and blind- tours of the grounds for the ness Patients’ fingers at public and conducts countless were sent home from school quite traumatic I was afraid and their books and desks of it One of the things about times curl up forming a claw- seminars More than 16000 were taken out and burned” Mexican culture is that we are like hand Death of nerve persons visited the hospital said Boudreaux “My father's very religious I had the endings on the fingers often last year One of the hardest myths to small business suffered biggest hell and damnation cause the fingers seemingly to melt away leaving the patient overcome has been the people thought the whole fear of it had Hansen's “I went to the priest and with stumps general belief that HD is a family Disease” The hospital itself quickly highly contagious disease said 'what have I done to get Two “It seems to be a disease of later this?’ They took me out of dispels the Biblical and years Boudreaux's brother conschool — one day I was popular image of a “leper low communicability Once tacted HD and was sent to effective treatment is started the next I was” colony" Carville He died 11 years The huge d oaks communicability declines or Mrs Elwood whose later and the graceful brick and perhaps disappears” said Dr husband Is a patient at CarJohn Troutman hospital Leprosy is a relatively rare ville and works as The Star's beige stucco plantation-typ- e disease in the United States -- business manager said the buildings give no hint of what director no more than 3000 known There has been only one Biblical and social im- - is inside the hospital located case in the hospital's history of on the banks of the Mississippi river between New Orleans a staff member contacting HD and Baton Rouge comEven The with though hospital its rolling golf course fishing municability is low the disease often strikes entire lake court tennis and theater families Scientists do not playgrounds resembles a summer camp or believe HD is hereditary but By John Virtue boarding school more than one some suspect susceptibility to MEXICO CITY (UPI) -of the world's leading treat- it may be The free distribution of land to ment and research centers for considerable Despite peasants s cornerstone if the progress in the treatment of leprosy Mexican Revolution since Other than a general store leprosy doctors still are able 1910 is going to come to an there is little else to Carville only to stop progress of the end disease in a patient never but the hospital The main reason is simple: The hospital was opened eliminating it veiled a Mexico is running out of good high statue of Sulfone drugs developed in more than 80 years ago as a arable land to divide up Zapata astride his horse — the state the early 1940s usually can institution but came The other reasons are more largest monument of its kind under control of the U S check the disease soon after it complex They include a need in Mexico — and used the Public Health Service in 1921 is discovered preventing serito increase agricultural occasion for land distribution the there has ous physical disfigurement A Through ye ’V productivity through announcements is being used been considerable change at new drug As recently as last October modernization a task not on cases that resist sulfone the institution of land question always easy with snail plots the Patients no longer are com treatment of land like those worked by distribution has been one of bloodshed Eleven persons the peasants As it is 70 per cent of the were killed in the state of land under cultivation in Sinaloa which borders on Mexico is now in the hands of Arizona in a clash between the peasants But this land is peasants and large land said to contribute only 30 per owners The large land owners insist cent of the nation's that their farms operate effiagricultural production Jose lopez Portillo the ciently because they are large ruling party candidate told the as compared to divided plots people to be prepared for the which can be as small as five acres Under the Mexican day land distribution ends new Wtiv in let “We Mexicans must underagrarian reform no individual stand that the divisible lands legally ran own more than 800 the yood times roll1 are going to run out because acres From 19C4 to 1974 the the land cannot be stretched number of acres under so we'd better prepare ourselves sooner or later — and cultivation with basic crops better now than later — for droiped from 29 million to 22 this stage" Ixipez Portillo million As b result Mexico stopped being an exporter of recently told peasant leaders wheat and maize and became Since the days of revolutionan importer ary peasant leader Kmiliano The government has Zapata successive governments have concentrated recently been using price w-- i JLt Ski ijrf i ii! incentives to increase the agrarian reform on the breakup of large land holdings production of basic erws and Four Seasons Sports and distribution to the landless to channrl more investment 1065'i N Main lagan peasants Recently outgoing funds into the agricultural unsector mmm president Luis Kcheverria gift! i ry t moss-drape- Distribution Of Land To End Soon 350-ac- re Commentary ot Gifts available while supply lasts Limit of one gift per customer Yfivtroducb THE EXCITING Kawasaki JET SKI! 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