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 arents and Others 
 
 Regarding Diphtheria 
 
 Prevention 
 
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 STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH 
 Isaac D. Rawlings, M. D., Director 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 121960741 
 
 Additional copies of this leaflet for general distri¬ 
 bution may be obtained by writing to the 
 Illinois Department of Public Health, 
 
 Springfield. 
 
 ILLINOIS STATE LIBRARY 
 
WHAT DIPHTHE1 
 
 Diphtheria killed 4Vo persons in Ill 
 1924 and caused 6,859 cases iU ness. 
 all of these persons were children'll^ than 
 years old. Usually there are more than 
 cases and more than 1,000 deaths annually frori 
 diphtheria in Illinois. Diphtheria is distinctly al 
 childhood disease, more than 85 per cent of the! 
 cases and deaths occurring among children under 
 8 years of age. 
 
 Ignorance and Carelessness Cause Diphtheria 
 
 Diphtheria can positively he prevented. Three 
 injections of toxin-antitoxin will make children x 
 immune to diphtheria just the same as vaccina¬ 
 tion will make them immune to smallpox. 
 
 Parents who do not know this permit their 
 children to run the risk of catching diphtheria 
 because of ignorance. Parents who do know that 
 toxin-antitoxin will prevent diphtheria and do not 
 give their children the advantage of this protec¬ 
 tion permit them to ruh the risk of catching 
 diphtheria because of wilful carelessness or 
 indifference. ^ 
 
 Why Toxin-antitoxin Should be Used V 
 
 The use of toxin-antitoxin to prevent diphtherial 
 is a thoroughly scientific procedure. It is en¬ 
 dorsed and recommended by leading physicians^ 
 and by official public health authorities. 
 
 If given to young children, toxin-antitoxin will 
 establish an immunity to diphtheria which will 
 continue during all the years when this disease 
 is most likely to occur. (In other words, it will 
 do for the child exactly what nature does for 
 most folks in the course of time. It amounts 
 simply to hastening the work of nature.) 
 
to have their chi] 
 munized should take the matter up with 
 physician. Hand him a copy of this leaflet^ 
 tell him about it. The State Department oi 
 Public Health works through physicians altogeth-] 
 er in connection with this service. 
 
 Who Should be Immunized 
 
 Every healthy child between six months and 
 eight years of age should be immunized against 
 this disease. If this were done, diphtheria would 
 soon disappear. There is no objection to giving 
 toxin-antitoxin to older children but many of 
 them have already developed a natural immunity 
 and have passed through the period of most 
 danger from diphtheria. 
 
 Proof of Results from Toxin-antitoxin 
 
 In the fraternity school at Mooseheart, Illinois 
 where more than 1000 children are enrolled, the 
 medical director began immunizing all children 
 with toxin-antitoxin in 1920. Since that year not 
 a single case of diphtheria has occurred among 
 'the pupils of the school, although they were 
 definitely exposed to the disease on a number of 
 occasions. Prior to that year there were from 16 
 to 50 cases among the pupils yearly. Many other 
 institutions throughout the country and a few 
 cities have reported results like that at Moose- 
 heart. 
 
 Protect Your Children 
 
 Toxin-antitoxin is given hypodermically in 
 three doses at intervals of one week. The full 
 course takes two weeks. Immunity against 
 diphtheria follows in from three to six months. 
 
 Protect your children against this treacherous 
 disease. DO IT NOW. 
 
•en 
 
 toxin. It sometimes 
 ly for a day or two but this rarely Imp¬ 
 's to children under eight years old and child- 
 are the ones who need it most. 
 
 When Toxin-antitoxin Should be Given 
 
 Toxin-antitoxin should be given to children as 
 soon as practical after six months of age. Prior 
 to that date they do not need it because of a 
 temporary natural immunity. If given at six 
 months of age, ample time is allowed for the 
 toxin-antitoxin to establish immunity before ex¬ 
 cessive exposure to diphtheria. 
 
 It does no immediate good to give toxin- 
 antitoxin to children after they have been exposed 
 to diphtheria because it usually takes from three 
 to six months for the immunity to become estab¬ 
 lished. Obviously the most practical time to give 
 the toxin-antitoxin is when no diphtheria is pres¬ 
 ent in the community. 
 
 After definite exposure to diphtheria or in the 
 face of an epidemic children may be temporarily 
 protected by giving them antitoxin. This product* 
 gives immediate protection but the immunity 
 lasts but a few weeks and in no sense serves the 
 purpose of toxin-antitoxin. 
 
 What Immunization Against Diphtheria Costs 
 
 The State Department of Public Health dis¬ 
 tributes toxin-antitoxin to citizens of Illinois 
 FREE of cost. The only cost of immunization to 
 parents is the physician’s fee. Any physician in 
 the State may secure a supply of toxin-antitoxin 
 upon request, the only condition being that he 
 arrange for 20 or more immunizations 
 time. 
 
 that he , 
 at one i