“Epidemic At Kirkland Lake Now Much Abatted,” The Porcupine Advance (Timmins). December 23, 1930. Pa

“Epidemic At Kirkland Lake Now Much Abatted,” The Porcupine Advance (Timmins). December 23, 1930. Page 06.—-Few New Cases Developing and Situation Well In Hand. Plans for Pasteurization of Milk. North Bay M.O.H. Vetoes Temporary Plan.—The epidemic of septic sore throat at Kirkland Lake is now abating and the worst is over according to accounts from Kirkland Lake this morning. There have been from 500 to 800 cases according to reports, with a total of five deaths, the proportion of deaths to the cases being very small in proportion to other illnesses. The belief now is that the epidemic is completely checked. There are few new cases being reported. Dr. W. E. George, the district medical health officer, was quoted this week as expressing very general satisfaction with the improvement in the general situation. Progress continues good, Dr. George said, and he attributes this to the prompt cutting off of the local milk supply some ten days ago and to the free use of scarlet fever anti-toxin. The softness of the weather Dr. George thought would have no effect on the situation. Dr. George is quoted further as saying that it is difficult to estimate the number of cases actually under treatment, only new patients having been reported. Many of the patients affected in the early stages of the epidemic are now recovered and around again, but a large number are still ill, some of them seriously so. A peculiar thing about the disease is that many had only light attacks and others were very critically ill.The cause of the epidemic was traced to infected milk which caused a form of blood poisoning in the throat. The whole trouble is said to have come from one cow. The only dairy infected supplied milk to other dairies, all of which were then affected, the result being a very serious situation. The prompt closing of the dairies did much to check the epidemic but not before there was a serious spread of the disease. The epidemic is said to be the worst of its kind every occurring in Canada.At a meeting of the township council at Kirkland Lake last week temporary measures for handling the milk supply, pending the installation of properly approved pasteurizing plants in the local dairies was adopted. The plan is to have a plant for disinfecting milk bottles and cans and milk that has been pasteurized will be placed in sterilized containers for distribution to the citizens in the usual manner. In the meantime Kirkland Lake’s milk supply has been coming from North Bay. The meeting of the council was attended by milk vendors, health authorities, and others, and it was decided that until regular pasteurization plants were installed by the local dairies the milk could be shipped to North Bay in sterilized containers, pasteurized, and returned in the usual sterilized containers. This plan was vetoed by the North Bay medical health officer. The North Bay medical health officer gave as the reason for his stand that such a plan might cause infection in North Bay. One germ in the supply from Kirkland Lake dairies might get to North Bay in the milk or containers and cause an outbreak there. The disease was very infectious and one drop of infected milk could cause death, he said. As a consequence Kirkland Lake will have to continue its present importation of milk until the pasteurization plants are installed at Kirkland Lake. The dairies there are all ready to adopt pasteurization as soon as can be arranged. The disease at Kirkland Lake is very infectious, this being shown by the fact that doctors and nurses have been among those falling ill from the disease. Last week there was a call for nurses to go to Kirkland Lake, but this call issued by the provincial department of health was cancelled this week, it not being considered necessary under the improved conditions and the abatting of the epidemic. -- source link
Tumblr Blog : anatomy-lesson.tumblr.com

More pics about