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Show BOARD OF HEALTH CALLS FOR DISCONTIMJANCE'OF ALL PUBLIC GATHERINGS UNTIL LATER NOTICE With 'the report of more than'300 influenza in-fluenza cases in Ogden by the city health department the city and county authorities expect to take drastic steps to check the spread of the disease I here. More than 10 cases were reported re-ported to the city health office yesterday yes-terday while more than 2C had been reported today. Theater owners and owners of oth-1 er establishments of amusement havei been asked to co-operate with the health officials in stamping out the disease. Crowds form one of the most( dengerous means of spreading tne ! disease. ' In regard to tho situation CommIs- sioner J. Ray Ward said: j "The influenza situation is becom-1 ing more serious every day. There is I now about three hundred cases of in-1 fluenza and one hundred ensps ofj smallpox in the city. The influenza I has been In a mild form in most cases, but checking record shows that such was the case last year, the situation did not become serious until after the second or third week, when tho death rate began mounting very much higher. "The death rate in some neighboring neighbor-ing towns now has become very serious, se-rious, in at least one case, as serious as it was in Ogden last year. Where the situation is taken in hand, and no secret made of conditions, people have co-operated with the authorities and good results have been attained. However, in at least onc neighboring city, information is given, lhat where the real situation has been concealed, and seldom referred to in the press, Ihe influenza has spread with astonishing aston-ishing rapidity, and now asoumed sc-rioiiH sc-rioiiH proportions. "The board of health has investi-, gated numerous places, and each in-1 vestigation has brought out Ihe samel facts: that where people gather in I large bodies there Is constant danger of infection. The theater managers I are doing all possible to keep their theaters sanitary, still after each performance per-formance there is always a large amount of expectoration upon tne floor, nnd regardless of how well ventilated ven-tilated the place is, germs are constantly con-stantly rising rrom tho floors. Dancing Danc-ing has been proved to be an easy way for infection to spread. "The board of health docs not be-lievo be-lievo that there is as much danger in such meetings as ward and church meetings, as there is in dancing, theaters, thea-ters, etc., but as has always been the case, it is always necessary that the Christian peoplo take the lead, and therefore, the board of health requests that all public gatherings, of any sort,' be discontinued until further advised by the board of health. In making this request the board of health has been advised by a number of the most prominent prom-inent and experienced physicians in the city, and It is hoped that people will co-operate and avoid large gatherings gath-erings as much as possible, evenings in particular." Dr. Rupert Blue, surgeon general in the public health service at Washington Washing-ton has the following to say in regard to the influenza epidemic: "So far as avoidance of direct infection infec-tion through Inhalation is concerned, it is important to beware of the person per-son who coughs or sneezes without covering his mouth and nose. It also follows that one should keep out of crowds and stuffy plaaces as much as possible, keep homes, offices and I workshops well aired; spend some i Uine out of doors each day; walk lo work if at all practicable; In short, make every effort to breathe as much pure air as possible. - The indirect transmission of influenza, influ-enza, which is more difficult to avoid, I can yet be guarded against by a lit- tie thought. Less shaking of hands, i shunning unclean soda fountains and j restaurants, avoiding the use of common com-mon towels. Insistence on the ohserv-j ohserv-j ance of sanitary practices in food Unndling establishments, and on the i enforcement by the authorities of I sanitary regulations governing such places. These are all measures by j which every citizen can safeguard him-jSelf him-jSelf against infection. Their more general gen-eral practice, would do much to prevent pre-vent the spread of disease generally. To a large extcrjt the prevention of influenza in-fluenza can be summed up in the single sin-gle word, 'cleanliness.' " oo We wonder it It will be possible for some people to get the real Christmas spirit, now that the counterfeit spirits are gone? |
