Newspapers / Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, … / Sept. 18, 1941, edition 1 / Page 11
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RETIREMENT ACT IS EXPLAINED AT TEACHERS MEETING County Health Officer Addresses Teachers, Too 'At the county-wide teachers meeting at Halifax recently, Baxter Durham, secretary of the teachers’ retirement commission, explained provisions of the act which will provide funds for taking care of school teachers after years of service. Miss Julia Weatherington of the State Department of Education, Raleigh, was another speaker at the meeting, and County Superin tendent of Schools V. C. Matthews outlined plans for the year’s work in Halifax schools. Dr. Robert F, Young, county health officer, addressed the teach ers on “A Way To Life More A bundant” “You as teachers are about to embark on one of the most critical ly important years in your lives”, the health officer told the group. “The responsibility will be great. The future will be uncertain. This will be a year of momentous chang es in the world at large that will affect each of you very definitely. "In order for you to meet with courage and strength, therefore, whatever changes or vicissitudes that might take place you must, provide yourselves and yovr stu dents with health and knowledge in abundance. For the year3 that he ahead”, Dr. Young continued, “the children of today will need to develop broad shoulders, sturdy bodies and clean minds in order to preserve and per petuate the heritage which is ours in America. “When the going is bad and when times seem difficult, yours will be the task to boost the mo rale and spirit of the citizens of your community who are the pa rents of your students, for children are definitely affected by what goes on at home. Therefore, you should promote parent education as never before. “There ere many child health problems with which you have to cope during the school year, but I will discuss only those which are most importan.; such as, typhoid fever, childhood communicable dis eases, tuberculosis, venereal dis eases, and nutrition. "We haven’t had so much to say about typhoid fever in our school health program, but today I want to lay a problem at your very door”, said Dr. Young. “During the past summer we have had four cases of typhoid fever in Halifax County, all of whom were colored patients. Not a single one of these patients had been voccinated against typhoid fever although the Health Depart ment had held clinics within a stone’s throw of all these cases. Why did these colored patients fail to be vaccinated? They failed because of pure, unadulterated in difference and they have all paid most dearly, I assure you, for this indifference. One of the patients is stHl critically ill, trying desper ately to keep soul and body intact. I pray that God will restore him to health even though his parents utterly ignored the advances of medical science which would have spared this poor child the pain and suffering he has had to endure. I really and truly believe that viccin nations are a part of God’s Plan of things. He put them here for a purpose. “As Johnson wrote, ‘To preserve health is a moral and religious du ty, for health is the basis of all so cial virtues. We can no longer be useful when not well’. “I beg of you, therefore, to go back to your communities and your schools and teach the parents and children that typhoid fever is a dis grace to a civilized world and that it can be prevented by these vac cinations. “Although all four of these cases of typhoid fever were colored pa tients living near Scotland Neck, it is just as much your duty as the duty of the colored teachers to go back to yoitr communities, especial ly those of you who teach at Scot land Neck and Hobgood, and lead your people out of the dark age3 of superstition into the world of pre sent day medical and public health advantage. Typhoid fever is a ‘must go’ disease which still tena city hangs on when it should be merely a disease of historical im portance. Childhood Diseases “The communicable diseases of childhood we always have with us. Some of these maladies' are as sneaking and insidious as fifth columnists’. Whooping cough is notably such a disease. So many of the childhood diseases are in fectious even days before the signs and symptoms make the disease known, and by this time, of course, already the germs are incubating in other little bodies waiting to claim new victims; however, we can be on the alert far the first symp tom or sign that does appear and make certain that control mea sures are carried out as soon as possible. “The first of these childhood diseases that usually makes its appearance during the school year is diphtheria; it begins in Septem ber. “This is another disease which can be prevented by proper immu nization at an early age, preferably at six months of age, since it is during the first year of life that diphtheria claims most of its vic times. Every child must be im munized against diphtheria before it can be admitted to school in North Carolina. We ask you to see that this regulation is carried out in Halifax County. We want every principal to advise the Health Department within the first week of school as to the number of first grade children that need to be im munized against diphtheria and smallpox. These immunizations, as you know, should be given at the pre-school clinics in order for the children to have their maximum protection by the time school starts; however, there is always a goodly number who miss these clinics and have to be vaccinated when school opens each fall. “Diphtheria usually comes on at night. The child has symptoms that resemble a common cold. There is a greyish white, tenacious mebrane that covers the entire throat. This membrane differs from exudates in that it leaves bleeding points on the throat or tonsils when it is removed. nVitKrno {a on amanaranntr onrl requires heroic treatment to pre vent the child from being choked to death by this deadly membrane. Then, too, the germ gives off a tox in that poisons the entire system. There were three deaths from diph theria in Halifax County last year. "A child must have two succes sive negative cultures from its throat and nose to be released from isolation. All susceptible contacts must be quarantined who live in the house with a case of diphtheria for the duration of the incubation period. “Insist that the message gets back home that all babies are re quired by law to be immunized a gainst diphtheria as soon as they become six months of age. “Scarlet fever, a violent childhood disease, comes in the wake of diphtheria and so many times chil dren have the two diseases con currently. “There is no satisfactory immuni zation for scarlet fever at the pre sent time. “The patient has a profuse blush over his entire body. The rash is at first fine and granular. There is a short incubation period of three to five days, and the disease strikes suddenly with a high temp erature, vomiting, and severe head ache. The throat is usually ex tremely red and sore. “The patient must be isolated for three weeks following the disap pearance of rash an dcessation of all discharges. All susceptible con tacts must be quarantined through the incubation period dated from the last exposure. “The complications of scarlet fe ver are principally bronchopneu monia and otitis media (middle ear infection), and these complications are quite frequent and all too of ten fatal. “Any child with a sudden onset of severe symptoms resembling scarlet fever should be sent home immediately. Please advise that a physician be summoned and that the Health Department be notified. Whooping Cough “Now comes whooping cough. This disease is truly a ‘sneak’. It is usually present for two weeks before the diagnosis is made by the characteristic ‘whoop’. By this time enough susceptible children have been exposed in the school room and on the buses to initiate a sizable epidemic. "There is a very good vaccine for whooping cough now. It» does not always prevent the disease, but it does make the condition milder and prevents in most instances the complications. ihe vaccine 13 too expensive to be furnished free but can be ob tained through the Health Depart ment for fifty cents an immuniza tion. Every baby should be immu nized against this disease by the time it is four or five months of age. “Whooping cough kills more children under five years of age than any other childhood disease. The infant is born with absolutely no protection against whooping cough, whereas with the other com municable diseases, it usually has enough protection to last until it is five or six months of age. “The patient with whooping cough is isolated for three weeks following the appearance of the whoop. All susceptible contacts are quarantined for two weeks follow ing the last exposure. “Please warn all parents that this disease is deadly and that they should have all manner of respect for its presence until the last ves tige of illness is gone. There were four deaths from whooping cough in our county during 1940. "There is another disease that attacked our children last year with the fury of a tornado. Hundreds of cases appeared almost over night to virtually paralyze our entire school system. Here again is a ‘sneak’. It steals in under the guise of a common cold, when suddenly its true nature reveals itself with splotches of red over the entire body, resembling Uncle Wiggly aft er he had run through the red berry bush. "You well remember the brassy coughs that plagued these young sters last year long after the measles epidemic had passed on. “Any child with watery red eyes and who complains of light hurting his eyes should be sent home im mediately and kept there until measles has been ruled in or out. “All contacts may continue com ing to school for one week follow ing the date of the last exposure and then kept at home for a full week. If there is any question a bout the date of the last exposure all contacts must be kept at home for two full weeks. “A most important point to re member about all childhod diseases is that children under five years of age must be protected against these diseases with all diligence. Chil dren under two years of age, par ticularly are vulnerable to these diseases and must be kept away from older children who have whooping cough and diphtheria. These two diseases are the killers, but they can be *brought to justice’ by parents who are better inform ed in preventive medicine. TUBERCULOSIS "As we leave the lower grades and approach high school, the dis ease that takes more lives than any other is tuberculosis. Early diagnosis and early treatment are essential in controlling this disease "What you as educators must do therefore, is to create a desire or the part of the high school stu dents to assume the responsibility - they should have in informing themselves on the symptoms and signs of tuberculosis. Teach them the value of periodic physical ex aminations. "Two more diseases that begin to play a part in the drama of life as we approach high school are the venereal diseases, syphilis and gon orrhea. "Very little has been said about these diseases in the past in our schools, but more must be said in the future. "These diseases stand as very definite menaces to the future of young people. Boys and girls are left to learn about syphilis and gon orrhea themselves. They need to be guided and taught the truth before they leave high school. Here the Health Department must carry the brunt of the attack at least for the time being, and we would like to have an opportunity to talk to | the high school students on this subject this year. Last but not least we come to nutrition. Hiis problem is a mon ster in some sections of our coun ty, but o.i close study, we in the Health Department have found that this giant can be slain. “We need gardens and more gar dens. It doesn’t take a large plot to supply an average size family with the vegetables they should have. A small area will suffice. “Every family should have plen ty of collards set out and turnips and mustard planted now, but un fortunately this is not the case. There is desperate need for educa tion here. Won’t you teachers try to lead a movement this year for planting more gardens, for canning projects, and for buying more milk cows? “Every school should put forth a mighty effort to get hot lunches, for this hot food during the school day puts color in the cheeks and sparkle in the eyes of our children. It helps to build sound bodies and reminds us that “He who has health has hope, and he who has ■ hope has everything”. f I I 1 To | 1 THE JEWEL BOX 1 | AND BEST WISHES g | YOU SO WELL DESERVE | | 1 | HAROLD N. HARRIS, INC. § jj MANUFACTURERS OF GUARANTEED DIAMOND RINGS M | 580 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, N. Y. 1
Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.)
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Sept. 18, 1941, edition 1
11
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