CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETS con'td
tion canes from Major Ggne.ral Cumm
ings who attended a recent. Chamber
luncheon with Col. Jojinson of the
i'ilaska Railroad,
HEALTH COUNCIL
The BCG team of doctors and nurs
es from the Territorial Department
of Health will begin tuberculin
testing Monday, April 30, and will
remain in.Palmer for the,rest of
the week to read the tests and give
BCG vaccinatigns as necessary, Val
ley Pub.lic Health nurse, Marjorie
Myron announced today. She also
re-emphasized the fact that tuber
culin tests and BCG vaccinations
are highly desirable for all indiv
iduals under 50 years of age who
have had no history of tuberculosis.
.Last week, it was explained that
those reacting positively to tuber
culin tests would not need the BCG
vaccination. In this connection,
it might be added that those who
know that they have a positive re
action to the tuberculin test need
not attend the clinic. Their re
action to the tuberculin test will
not change; only if a positive re
action to the test is acquired
through vaccination will a future
reaction ever be negative. In that
event, as was explained last week,
a new vaccination would be desir
able.
Next week school children will be
given permission slips for parental
approval of the testing and vaccin
ating. These slips- should be sign
ed and returned to the school with
out delay since school children
will be tested the first day of the
clinic. . ,
The BCG program has been carried
to almost all of the Alaskan vill
ages , and it is now being made a
vailable to the cities of Alaska.
Over 22,000 Alaskans have been tu
berculin tested since the program
began in I9I+8 and of this number,
8,000 have received BCG vaccina
tions. The others, totalling about
6ip percent, wore positive reactors
to the test.
Last week it was mentioned that
BCG vaccination docs not confer
total immunity or permanent resist
ance to tuberculosis. The follow
ing report of a study made with new
born infants reveals the advantages
of BCG vaccinations. The children
in this study came from households
in which no tuberculosis could be
demonstrated by X-ray examination.
The infants were vaccinated or ac
cepted as controls (.not vaccinated)
before they left the hospital, and
no isolation was practiced.
There wore 1 ,lpl7 infants vaccina
ted during the first week of life.
Three months later ovor 99 percent
|had begome tuberculin positive. Six
and a half years after the single
jvaccination., almost 80 percent of
ithose tested wore still tuberculin
positive. Among the 1,1; li; infants
in the unvaccinated control group,
I4I1. percent were positive at the end
of eight and a half years. This
high rate of tuberculin conversion
in the control group, indicates the
degree of exposure for both vaccin
ated and control groups. There
were 11 cases of tuberculosis with
one death in the vaccinated group
and 39 cases with seven deaths in
the controls. This study had been
in progress for 10 years at the
time of reporting.
■In another study made among 3>000
individuals•in the United States
and Alaska, it was shown that BCG
vaccinations reduced tuberculosis
deaths to one-seventh and the num
ber of tuberculosis cases to one
fifth.
No one needs to be told that tu
berculosis i3 a disease to avoid at
all costs. If chances of escaping
the disease are five times greater
with BCG vaccination, it follows
!that everyone vdio has not built up
ja resistance against the disease
should attend the BCG clinic.
GRANGE TO HAVE INITIATION.
The Northland Pioneer Grange an
nounces that they will hold initia
tion in the Community Hall on April
|26th., at 8 o'clock.
Mrs. Fred Larsen is a patient in
Valley Hospital this week.
i Lorraine Aklesta.d is again absent
!from her job in the Trading Post be
cause of illness.
RETAIL MERCHANTS con'td.
| •
with the new ceiling price regula
tions, the Territorial Office of
Price' Stabilization reminded this
week.
April 30, retail merchants must
(1) prepare a statement showing the
categories of goods in which they
do business, (2) prepare a list
showing cost of each article in the
base period (Dec. 19, 1951~J‘in»
1991, (3) highest ceiling price dur
ing this period, and (Ij.) dollar-and
cents profit made on article. They
may pass along increases in invoice
costs only to the extent of actual
dollar-and-cents increase. Freight
charges may bo added to invoice
costs only to the extent of actual
freight charge and all invoices and
freight bills must be preserved to
substantiate the retailer’s selling
price.