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Sunday, October 6, 2019

The Flu, Scarlet Fever, Whooping Cough in Transylvania County, Oct. 3, 1919

From the Brevard News, Oct. 3, 1919

To the Parents and Teachers in Transylvania County

By W.J. Wallis, County Health Officer

The Flu

Remembering the ordeal we experienced in many ways with the world-wide epidemic of influenza last fall and winter I would ask you to exercise constant vigilance in order to avert as far as in us lies a return to similar conditions. I do not think it necessary to go into details as to the symptoms of influenza; it was so wide-spread and its manifestations so pronounced.  I would suggest that all persons take special care of themselves in every particular and if any suspicions of influenza exist, call a physician.

Scarlet Fever Quarantine

I would call attention also to the fact that I have quarantined three homes in somewhat widely separated part of the county because of scarlet fever. So far as I could ascertain there had been in none of them any known exposure to the disease. In view of the fact that an infection from a light case results quite frequently in a malignant case, and also that the quarantine period is so long, 49 days; I would ask parents and teachers to be on the alert and to report any suspected cases. For should it become general it would almost certainly result in closing a school in the neighborhood where it was prevalent for a large part of, or it might be, the whole of its term. In view of the fact that we in common with every section of the United States stopped all concourses of people in church, schools and places of amusement, it behooves us to exercise vigilance to avoid similar experiences this fall and winter.

Whooping Cough Is Deadly

For some reason, I cannot see why, the public not awake to the great danger of whooping cough. A study of mortality statistics will show that its death toll is very large. For this season and always, I would enjoin a rigid outlook for this matter.

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