North Carolina Subsidizes Treatment for Diphtheria, 1914

A hundred years ago, North Carolinians were still suffering from diphtheria. A toxin-antitoxin was available but the $3 cost was too expensive for many citizens, so the state purchased some and was making it available to the public for 10 cents. “Protection From Diphtheria” from the May, 1914, issue of The Health Bulletin, describes the program. The Health Bulletin was published by the North Carolina State Board of Health and distributed for free to any citizen of the state upon request.

Through Dr. C.A. Shore, director of the State Laboratory of Hygiene, notices are being sent to all physicians of the state announcing that toxin-antitoxin is now ready for distribution at the nominal charge of 10 cents for three doses, the quantity needed to give immunity from diphtheria.

Toxin-antitoxin is different from antitoxin. The latter is used for treatment, and, in 1,000 unit doses, for immediate protection. The immunity rendered by the toxin-antitoxin mixture is believed to last for years, certainly as long as the immunity produced by typhoid vaccine. There is good reason to believe that diphtheria can be practically stamped out by the widespread use of diphtheria toxin-antitoxin mixture.

Three injections at intervals of one week are necessary to produce immunity, and it is suggested that the treatment be given to all children, and especially to those children between the ages of one and five years, and to all adults who have had diphtheria. A previous attack does not confer immunity, but is evidence of susceptibility.

The toxin-antitoxin mixture is very expensive to produce, each series of three doses necessary for one treatment costing the State Laboratory something over $1. The manufacture of it was made possible by an appropriation given by the last session of the General Assembly. In order to guard against waste in its use the nominal charge of 10 cents has been decided upon.

The toxin-antitoxin mixture manufactured by the State Laboratory has been tested by the experts of the New York City Laboratory, who were the pioneers in this work, and they have given assurance of its reliability.

Anticipating that the laboratory would be able to supply this additional weapon against death from a preventable disease, nine counties in North Carolina have already signed contracts by which the immunity treatment will be available, without any charges whatever, to all their citizens during the summer this year. The campaign to render the people immune from diphtheria will be carried along at the same time as the anti-typhoid campaigns. The counties that have already arranged for these free clinics are Person, Rockingham, Greene, Davie, Caldwell, Martin, Warren, Randolph, and Stanley.

                        --R.B.W.