Old Theory On Spread of Influenza, 1918

From The Enterprise, Williamston, N.C., Nov. 29, 1918

People Do Not Get Influenza From the Sick

It is established on good authority that since September 1^st up to date we have had 350,000 cases of influenza in North Carolina, and that 250,000 of these cases were contracted from well people. This is more than twice as many as were contracted from sick people. We all know that one is much more liable to be bitten by a snake in the grass than by one in the open where it can be seen. The same reasoning is true of many diseases. One is not so liable to get influenza, scarlet fever, whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, and many other diseases from sick people as from well people who carry the disease germs in their mouths.

When the news get circulated around a community that some one has a contagious disease, most people get afraid and stay from him. The few people who do go to see him usually wash their hands and use other precautions before leaving the sick room. Sick people are confined to a very limited area and come in contact with very few people, and therefore they can’t spread disease very widely. But listen! The fellow who gets the disease is infected from one to several days before he comes down. Between the time he gets the disease, germs in his mouth and the time he gets sick is the most dangerous period. During this time the infected person, not suspecting how dangerous he is, goes into crowds as theaters, dances, moving picture shows, on railroad cars, and in other public places, and there he scatters the disease germs.

People should know these facts, and they should also know that many persons carry the disease germs in their mouths who never have the disease. People must always be on guard if they hope to prevent getting and spreading diseases. They should always use separate drinking cups, dishes, and towels, or have then boiled before using them after another, and they should hold a handkerchief over the mouth and noise when coughing or sneezing. When an Epidemic Disease is Present in the Community, Stay Away From Public Meetings.

In analyzing the requirements for the prevention of diseases, the methods narrow themselves down to individual effort, and the sooner the people realize their responsibility in disease prevention, the better it will be for the people, collectively.

Report all cases of whooping cough, measles, diphtheria, and scarlet fever promptly, and you will be instructed how to prevent their spread.

--Wm. E. Warren

Asst. Collaborating Epidemiologist