The Orleans parish medical society is launching a campaign against lockjaw, which kills half the people in Louisiana who contract" it. >
Physicians here are stressing an anti4etanus campaign in | which they hope to set every man, woman and child in the city
immunised against the disease.
Sgys anti-tetanus camp a i g n
chairman, Dr. Richard A. Faust:
"All you have to do is take
> shot today, a second shot a
month frorn now, and a third
shot six months to a year from now."
Physicians feel that persons I who died last year in Louisiana from lockjaw would probably be I alive today if they ha$ rec©iv@el the protection of toxoid tetanus shots. 341 Cases in 10 Years
Dr. Faust, for the benefit of j persons who think tetanus is rare, jsaid Louisiana had 341 cases over a 10-year period, and 189 died. I The , campaign chairman said anyone who has received three toxoid shots only needs a booster to protect himself if injured.
World War II veterans, all of whom got toxoid shots in the service, need take only a booster to bring their immunity up to an effective level now, Dr, Faust said.
Committee members will ask industry to have all thfir employes immunized during the campaign. Several, including Kaiser Aluminum and Western Electric, are already doing so. Advantage of Shots
Dr. Faust says the advantage o ftoxoid shots is that they help the body building up immunity against lockjaw.
Old-time horse serum tetanus ! shots only help counteract the ef» fects of the disease after it has taken its hold of the victim. I Physicians here were told at a recent medical congress that anti-tetanus horse serum itself may be dangerous. The speaker cited a number of cases in which patients have dropped dead after getting a shot of it.
Dr. Faust said lockjaw some-1 times develops from the slightest injury, often unnoticed; Because of this, Dr. Faust:
Causes Great Pain
I'dlike to see every industry in the city have their personnel immunized against tetanus.
"Such immunisations would not only protect tfre employe, it woulcl s&vg tfte employer money in man-hour losses. And it is a splendid health measure." Dr. Faust says Jockjaw causes great pain, and apparently stimulates the victim's mind so he becomes more aware of his suffering.
The victim can't breathe properly, can't open his mouth, and is in an almost constant state of convulsions.
Early symptoms, said Dr. Faust, include stiffness of tfte n&ek muscles tnef painful eramps
Later, spasms spread to other muscles of the body. Could Be Fata!
"The slightest noise or jarring can throw the patient into violent convulsions," he said. ' 'Death may occur from heart j faliur eor from aspyhxiation during a spasm."
Servig with Dr. Faust on the campaign committee are Drs, Isidore Cohn Jr. and Edward T. Krenients.
Members of the hospital liaison subcommittee for the drive are Drs Paul L. Getzoff, Christopher F. Bellone, Arthur C. Davidson, Malter A. Salatich, Robert R. Senter, John B. Blaloek, Louis Burroughs and Irving A. Levin.
