The Fight Against Diphtheria
Public health officials report a decline in diphtheria cases thanks to new immunization efforts, urging parents to protect children before they reach school age.
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Spokane has virtually completed the immunization of its school children from diphtheria, according to Dr. Paul A. Turner, Director of the State Department of Health. Hundreds of cases of diphtheria are reported annually in this state which could be avoided if complete preventive measures were used. Since toxin-antitoxin has been used in this state for a little more than one year, the number of cases of diphtheria has decreased. In 1921, 1,043 cases were enumerated for the first eight months; in 1922, 991 cases were listed for the same period; this year 885 cases have been reported for the same number of months. By using a simple test—an injection of a drop of solution into the skin—it is possible to determine whether a child is liable to contract the disease. Those children who are immune will not show any effect from the injection. Those children who may contract it develop a red spot in a few days. This latter group can be protected from the disease by administering toxin-antitoxin. Dr. Turner urges that all children be immunized during the pre-school age.
“This is the time of year when diphtheria increases... Now that science has discovered that persons may be immunized from this often fatal disease every child should be given adequate protection.”
While vaccines for diphtheria have long since become a standard of childhood care, the public discourse in 1923 regarding immunity testing and state-led health mandates echoes modern debates over medical autonomy and the role of government in public safety.
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