Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-09-14 | Page 13 | Blue Reports on Influenza

BLUE REPORTS on- ipia Surgeon General Learns Disease Is Appearing Over United States. WASHINGTON, Sept 13 Surgeon-General Surgeon-General Blue of the public health service has made a telegraphic survey to determine deter-mine the extent of influenza in the United States. General Blue has found there was a sharp outbreak at Fort Morgan, near Mobile, Ala,, In August, and at about the same time a tramp steamer arrived at Newport News with almost the entire crew prostrated. Philadelphia reported a few casea, some four weeks apo, and a few have been reported from New York. The Boston outbreak waa reported September Sep-tember 11, since when the pandemic has appeared jLt New London, while New Orleans Or-leans has not wholly escaped. "The disease is characterized by sudden onset," said Dr, Blue to the Associated Press. "People are stricken on the streets, while at work in factories, shipyards, ship-yards, offices or elsewhere. First there is a chill, thon fever with temperature from 101 to 103, headache, backache, reddening red-dening and running of the eyes, pains and aches all over the body and general prostration. pros-tration. Persons so attacked should go to their homes at once, get to bed without with-out delay and immediately call a physician. physi-cian. "Treatment under direction of the phvsician is simple, but important, consisting con-sisting principally of rest in bed, fresh air, abundant food, with Dover's powder for the relief of pain. Every case with fever should be regarded as serious and kept in bed at least until temperature becomes be-comes normal. Convalescence requires careful management to avoid serious complications, such as bronchial pneumonia, pneu-monia, which not infrequently may have fatal termination. During the present outbreak In foreign countries tho salts of quinine and aspirin have been most generally gen-erally used during the acute attack, the HRpirln apparently with much success in tho relief of symptoms." Because the last pandemic of influenza occurred more than twenty-five years ago, phvsicians who began to practice medicine since 1S92 have not had personal experience experi-ence In handling a situation now spreading spread-ing through a considerable part of the foreign world, and already appearing to some extent In the United States. For that reason Dr. Blue is issuing a special bulletin for all medical men who send for it.