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Show co I CHILDREN SHOULD BE INSTRUCT-I INSTRUCT-I ED AS TO SCARLET FEVER. How to prevent scarlet fever, is the subject of a bulletin Just issued by the United States public health service. The bulletin should be In every home. We quote from it. as follows : The contagion of scarlet fever is spread principally from the die-j die-j charges of the nose and taroat, and I the acts responsible for the transmission transmis-sion of the disease from the sick to the well, are those which are common com-mon in our evory-day if. particular ly among children, namely, kissing, the use of the common drinking cup and common towel, placing in the mouth articles such as lead pencils, candy, apples and the like, which have been previously plaoed in the mouth or infected with the nose and throa. discharges of persons suffer lng from scarlet fever, or by being sprayed with such discharges in the ect of being "coughed at" or "sneezed at." We possess no specific remedies against scarlet fever The disease ouce contracted must run Its course. The chief effortB for its control, therefore, must be directed towards its prevention. The ruort Important means for preventing scarlet fever consist first, in the early recognition of the cases as they occur, and second, sec-ond, in a thorough isolation of those who aro sick The important tiling to remember is that a child, sick wlih scarlet fever who is thoroughly iso lftted, does not transmit the disease. This isolation must be carried out for a minimum period of six weeks or longer, if the mucous membranes of the nose and throat are no thoroughly thorough-ly healed by that time. Safe and thorough isolation in the home, however, how-ever, itj rather difficult to accomplish and is usually impossible Yn" dVor crowdrd city districts Our chief reliance, therefore fot public control of scarlet fever He! first in the provision for adequate contagious disease hospitals where al the measures for tho isolation of scat-let scat-let fever can be properly carried out' second, In tho prompt reporting b'! physicians Of scarlet fever cases third. In providing a sufficient num ber Of Inspectors and visiting nurset in health departments for the pur pose of visiting tho homes wherr scarlet fever casea occur and seeing that prop.-T sanitary precautions hl regard to isolation are observed and fourth, adequate systems of mdi"a supervision of school children- the abolition of the common drinking cup the common towel, Uim common Blati end lend pencil in all our schools While the habit of putting things It the mouth is Instinctive In children parents should early teach their chil dren that the only things that prop erly belong In the mouth are food ar.d drink. The danger of such prac tices as of putting pencil, coins and the like in tho month, erhnn-iu bites of candy ami apples among children, chil-dren, and similar practices should 1, one of the first features of the child"--; education. on |
