The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

12 The Health Bulletin April, 1951"But the spirit of competition, of improvement,is by no means confined tothe non-profit medical care plans. Finaland complete figures from the insurancecompanies and the various otheragencies in the health insurance fieldwill not be available for several months,but it is a conservative estimate, basedon all known developments in 1950, thatbetween 70,000,000 and 72,000,000 Americansnow have some form of voluntaryhealth insurance coverage."SIX-POINT PROGRAM IN FIGHTAGAINST TB OUTLINEDA six-point program forthe preventionof tuberculosis— "the white plague"—is presented in Today's Health, publishedby the American Medical Association.The program, outlined in an articleby Dr. J. De Witt Fox of Takoma Park,Md., recommended:(1) Stay away from known spreadersof tuberculosis germs.(2) Watch out for people who coughand spit.(3) Avoid frequent colds and infections.(4) Live a healthful life. Eat a wellbalanced diet. Get plenty of rest andsleep.(5) Get to know a good doctor. Seehim whenever you need advice. Havehim check your health at regular intervals.(6) Beginning in your teens, have achest x-ray each year. This is the bestway to find tuberculosis early.Dr. Fox pointed out that for centuriestuberculosis was a leading cause ofdeaths in Europe. As recently as 1900it was the most frequent cause of deathamong Americans, killing about 200 per100,000 population. Since then it hasdeclined gradually as a cause to eighthplace with a mortality rate of 30 deathsper 100,000 population.He ascribed this decline as "largelydue to the unremitting efforts of physicians,nurses, public health workers anda well-informed public."He pointed out that while some drugshave been found that hold promise inthe cure of the disease, the best weaponsstill are prevention and early treatment."Because tuberculosis is a contagiousdisease, one should avoid contact withpeople known to have it in active form,"he advised. "This includes even ourdearest relatives; tuberculosis plays nofavorites. The disease is spread bygerms carried in the sputum (coughedupdischarge) of a person with activetuberculosis. The important thing incontrol is to prevent drops of sputum ordust containing the germs from reachingothers."He said tuberculosis is likeliest to developwhen bodily defenses are temporarilyweakened by fatigue or stress.He urged extra rest and sleep after recoveryfrom a cold or other infection.Other recommendations were a wellbalanceddiet, plenty of water, cleanliness,fresh air, outdoor exercise andsunshine. Periodical chest x-rays, hesaid, will reveal tuberculosis in its earlystage when early cure is possible.* * * *SAYS CIVIL DEFENSE PLANNINGMUST INCLUDE GERM WARFAREPlans for civil defense in event ofwar must include the possibility of biologicor germ warfare, a national healthdirector said today, adding that moreknowledge and better equipment arenecessary if maximum protection of thepopulation is to be insured in case ofsuch an attack.Dr. Victor H. Haas of Bethesda, Md.,Director of the National MicrobiologicalInstitute of Health, Public Health Service,Federal Security Agency, discussesbiologic warfare in an article in theJournal of the American Medical Association.The article was prepared by Dr.Haas at the request of the Council onNational Emergency Medical Service ofthe A.M.A."It is possible," Dr. Haas said, "thatbiologic warfare may never be employed.. . still, plans for defense must takeinto account all the conceivable capabilitiesof a potential enemy, includingbiologic warfare."Dr. Haas believes that the goal of anenemy who intentionally spreads germswould be to cause incapacitating illnessesrather than extensive fatalities.