CARRIER OF DISEASE.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 156, 28 October 1926, Page 1

CARRIER OF DISEASE.

THE FLY CONVICTED. The fly is one of man's greatest enemies, and for itliafc reason the fly’s greatest einemy is, or sliouid he, man a The battle against the: fly must last as long as one or the'other endures. For centuries man has put up Avith. flies and the diseases caused by them, and only now'is man really beginning to realise! the danger and to fight against it. If there was room for a “fly ta'lk” during this year’s (Health , week campaign it would have a star place, but every object cannot be dealt with in one week. The fly is a dangerous pest which can b e largely red.uced. There is net the slightest doubt that files, were responsible for frightful outbreaks of ‘ j disease which made death by sick- . 1 ness more common than d,eath , by l ‘ bullet in wars of a century ago, hut r the fly was mightily unpopular with • camp authorities dur.ng the European war and tlie disease incidence fel laccordjngly. The fly is one of agents of the spread of sintestinal ! disease, and the-refore the greatest care should be taken that excreta in cases of.such disease are disposed of n such a manner, and immediately, chat this anger is removed. Carelessness in this regard probably accounts for epidemics of diarrohoela ( among children and infants. A great part of the healthfulness of hot weather is undoubtedly d,ue to the carrying of 'trouble by the sumi mer army of tens of millions of the pests. Laboratory experiments have proved that flies may Ingest the! putum of a tuberculosis patient and then excrete tubercle bacilli, which may remain virulent as long as fifteen d,ays. Laboratory counts, again, Jhave shown rhat the number of bacteria an a °: nc 1 e 'll y hi ayra nge all tire" way rf-fTin 550 lo 6,600.000 but i generally speaking, early in the- season then umber of bactenia is small, while later the numbers are very large. }Flieis transmit the virus of disease mechanically, either through their excreta, or upon their mouths, legs, ori bodies. Every fly must be considered as a dange'rous pest, whose presence in the house /is' a menace to the)inmates. The easiest and best way to reduce the total number in- any given community is . to kill the fly larvae when j they are feeding in the manure heap —not necessarily stable manure, by any means —or in the garbage receptacle. Destroy the conditions .which make heeding possible and you destroy the fly. This means in the city not much more—apart from stables, which are looked over by the city authorities regularly than the prompt disposal of decaying matter, a matter c*f consistent cleanliness and orderliness. . Garbage should he kept in properly , 1 covered cans. Is yours? r