CONTROL OF TYPHOID.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1060, 6 February 1913, Page 4

CONTROL OF TYPHOID.

There is much of interest in the discussion with reference to the control of typhoid which took place at the Advancement of Science Congress held in Melbourne recently. It was shown by Dr. Purdy, Chief Health Officer for Tasmania, for instance, that the death rate for typhoid had been reduced by a third during the past thirty years. It was still as high, however, as 15 per 100,000 in Australia for the ten years ended in 1910, whilst it was only 6.6 in New Zealand. In England it had fallen to 7, whereas in Scotland it was 6.2. In the United States it was as high as 46 per 100,000. After relating experiences of epidemics iu Auckland and iu Tasmania, Dr. Purdy stated that his experience showed that whenever the average temperature reached 63 deg. in districts where insanitary conditions existed and a typhoid patient or carrier was introduced there was a probability of an outbreak of typhoid. Special biting flies common in March, the typhoid month in Australia and New Zealand, may directly inoculate typhoid after feeding on typhoid-infected material. In Tasmania in tha past two years typhoid had, he said, been reduced by one-third. In Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart there had been remarkable reductions in typhoid since water carriage sewerage systems were established. Among the other experts who dealt with the question was Dr. Burton Bradley, who urged the importance of co operation of the health administrator with the bacteriologist in the investigation of typhoid cases aud epidemics. He outlined the technique he adopts, and favoured the use of early direct blood cultures iu tbe diagnoses of the disease. The education of the public on the question oi contamination of water and food by flies was of importance. Proper sewage disposal, such as by water sewerage, was essential, aud the value of vaccination for typhoid where the disease was epidemic was put forward. Then again it was urged by Dr. Roth, late of the Education Department of New South Wales, that instruction of school children was most important iu the combating of the disease. It is also of interest to mention that the question was raised as to the risk of infection which was present in connection with sterilised food, such as boiled or pasteurised milk. Dr. Purdy agreed with Dr. Clellaud that such foods allowed ol more rapid growth of typhoid where fly infection took place. The whole of the discussion emphasised very pointedly the value of cleanliness and the undesirableness of encouraging the fly pest if typhoid is to be kept down.