OCR Text |
Show Lower Death Rate Of Communicable Disease Reported i The annual report of sickness and deaths from communicable disease in Utah is very encouraging to those interested in public health. The death rates for all communicable diseases, dis-eases, with the exception of measles, are lower than those for the U.S. registration area. The following examples ex-amples of death rates are listed: (The death rate represents the number num-ber of deaths per 100,000 population) popula-tion) . Utiih U. S. Disease Rate Rate Diptheria 1.1 2.0 Influenza 9.8 34.6 Measles 2.1 1.1 Meningitis (epidemic) 1.3 1.7 Pneumonia 65.5 85.4 Scarlet Fever 1.0 1.4 Tuberculosis (pulm'y 14.8 48.3 Typhoid Fever 0.6 2.1 Whooping Cough ... 3.2 3.8 Septic sore throat .. 1.3 2.0 The following comparison of the death rates for 1936 and the average for the preceding ten-year period in Utah shows a wholesome trend: Average Death Death Rate Disease for '28-'37 for '38 Typhoid Fever 2.4 0.6 Measles 2.4 2.1 Scarlet Fever 4.2 1..0 Whooping Cough ... 5.6 3.2 Diptheria 1.8 1.1 Meningitis (epid'c) . 11.1 1.3 Influenza 39.8 9.8 Tuberculosis (pulm'y 19.8 14.8 Pneumonia 79.3 65.5 Uintah county was the only county in Health District No. IV having no cases of diptheria. Diptheria is a preventable disease and with proper immunization there is no reason why the other counties in District No. IV cannot equal this record for 1939. Duchesne county had 7 cases, Salt Lake county 12 cases, Tooele county 2 cases, Utah county 18 cases and Wasatch county 1 .cases, of diptheria during 1938. Smallpox is another preventable disease and Utah is to be aommend-ed aommend-ed for its all-time low record of 29 cases for the entire year of 1938. When we think that in 1920 there were 5,122 cases of this very serious seri-ous disease, we can see the value of adequate protection. These 29 cases all occurred in five counties. Salt Lake county had 12 cases and Utah 2. The other 15 cases occurred in Cache, Carbon and Weber counties. coun-ties. A death rate of 0.6 from typhoid fever is another state record and is very encouraging in that it shows that campaigns for adequate protection protec-tion of water, milk, and food supplies, sup-plies, improved sanitation and sewage sew-age disposal, and adequate immunization immun-ization of the public against typhoid fever have not been in vain. Much can still be done in Health District No. IV, however, in preventing prevent-ing this disease. During 1938 there were 19 cases of typhoid in this district. dis-trict. Duchesne county had 2 cases, Salt Lake county 6, Uintah county 9, Utah county 2. Two of the 19 ' cases died, 1 in Uintah and 1 in Du-: Du-: chesne counties. Typhoid fever can I be completely elminated through an I adequate sanitary program. I Cooperation with health officials is needed in getting every person! immunized against diptheria and smallpox. When this is accomplished, accomp-lished, there is no reason why we should have even one case of sickness sick-ness or death from these diseases. o |