Show Eight New Cases Of TB I me Inc ton toll ot of victims vic vic- victims victims vic vic- tims in Utah for the first fifteen days of Dec has exceeded exceeded exceeded ex ex- every full fuU month during during during dur dur- ing 1970 except April according according accord accord- according ing to official health records Eight new cases have been reported thus far in December Decem Decem- December ber two each in Utah and Emery Counties one each in Salt Lake Iron Uintah and San Juan Counties The total i for the year now stands at 52 TIlE THE PERSISTENT spread i of tuberculosis in the state was was- described in a report prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared by Lyman Smart Bountiful Bountiful Bountiful Boun Boun- j President of the Utah Tuberculosis and Health Association Association Association As As- for the board of Directors As an illustration of the way in which the spread of t tuberculosis is prevented Mr Air Smart described one recent case discovered in Utah County THE VICTIM an elderly man hospitalized in a local hospital for pneumonia was J found instead to have active f tuberculosis Skin tests X-rays X and sputum tests all confirmed the diagnosis He bagan taking taking taking tak tak- ing tuberculosis anti-tuberculosis drugs through the TB Drug Program operated by the State Division of Health with the local health department He received three simultaneous simultaneous simul simul- drugs streptomycin and Three drugs usage is normal treatment in order to avoid the emergency of drug resistant resistant resistant I tant organisms He will have to continue drug therapy for two years or longer THE VICTIM was released from the hospital shortly thereafter thereafter there there- thereafter after to continue treatment in his Utah County home That saves Utah taxpayers thousands of dollars In many cases today a TB patient doesn't have to go to the TB Hos Hos- pital pita for a long expensive stay He c can a n be treated through patient out-patient clinics or orthe orthe orthe the physicians physician's office instead Public health nurses from the Utah County Health Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment administered the daily streptomycin injections that his doctor had prescribed for six weeks Now three oral drugs are being taken Health workers quickly turned their attention to those who could have contracted the disease from the newly discovered case The most likely likely likey like like- ly y to have been infected in addition to his wife were a ason ason ason son law in and two grandchildren who also lived in Utah County EACH WERE given tests by the health department The wife and the son were found to have begun taking preventive preventive preventive pre pre- treatment Each will have to take TB anti-TB drugs for at least one year While they do not have tuberculosis in a communicable form preventive preventive preventive pre pre- treatment will help keep them from developing active tuberculosis later in life and thus prevent the future spread of TB germs to unsuspecting others Mr Smart reported that the public health nurses did an outstanding job dealing with the natural apprehension and fright which accompanied the diagnosis of tuberculosis and the many adjustments necessary necessary necessary sary in daily living THE REPEATED identification identification identification of new cases of tuberculosis tuberculosis tuberculosis tuber tuber- in our communities should be sufficient warning that we cannot afford to ease up our vigil against this dis dis- ease Hidden cases must be found Possible spread of the disease must be investigated patient Out-patient facilities must be maintained Those with early infection must be sought out rand r rand and placed on preventive treat treat- ment This requires continued alertness on the part of individual individual indi india vidual citizens as well as continued continued continued con con- competence in state and local government agencies agencies agen agena cies Mr Smart emphasized He explained that while there are fewer total TB cases now than ten years ago it itis itis itis is this very success which is creating the biggest problem in the fight against tuber tuber- People tend to lose Jose their fear of the disease when t t f tey ey hear about it less Jess frer fre free r In Utah budgets have 1 yen sen en drastically cut services' services educed and TB workers dis dis- pissed WE CAN expect that while while we are giving less Jess attention to tuberculosis than we did five years ago the seeds of TB will continue to be spread f only to be tallied as new cases of the disease in future years Mr Smart concluded I t tI I |