Typhoid Tragedy in Duplin County Could Have Been Avoided, 1921

“A Lesson From Duplin” from the May, 1921, issue of The Health Bulletin, published by the North Carolina State Board of Health and distributed for free to any citizen of the state upon request.

From Duplin County comes the story of a family that paid heavily because of failure to take advantage of free treatment offered to prevent typhoid fever. Nine members of the family were stricken with the disease. Five died.

During the summer of last year the State Board of Health, co-operating with the Board of County Commissioners, conducted an anti-typhoid campaign in Duplin. Vaccination was made available, without charge, to all citizens of the county. None of the members of the family in question cared to take advantage of the opportunity prevented.

Subsequently a daughter of the family went on a visit and contracted typhoid fever. Other members of the family visited the sick girl and after returning home were stricken. The disease spread until every one of the nine members of the family developed typhoid.

In addition, a nurse employed to care for the sick also developed the disease. Ten people were desperately ill with a preventable disease. Five died.

This was an unusually severe “family epidemic.” The pity of it is that the 10 cases of illness and the five deaths could have been prevented.

                        --R.B.W.