Health In Our Community (1958)

Betty doesn't feel well today there's a school nurse in Betty's School the teacher thinks that Betty should go and see the nurse the nurse looks at Betty very carefully she sees some red spots could it be the measles the nurse so Stranges to send Betty home right away Dr Fuller comes to see Betty at home and sure enough he says that she does have the measles Dr Fuller explains to Betty that she will have to stay in bed until she gets well the doctor makes out a report saying that Betty has the measles he will send this report to the Department of Health Dr mcnali is the health officer in bettystown he is in charge of the Department of Health his staff collects reports of all diseases which can be spread from one person to another these diseases are called contagious the health officer wants everyone with a contagious disease to be in isolation isolation means that the sick person will not be allowed to go where she might spread her disease to anyone else Dr MCN and the other men and women at the Department of Health work closely with the family doctors in Betty's toown to find and isolate cases of disease but more important they fight to stop disease before it can start one way they do this is by making sure that everyone gets vaccinated a vaccination can protect you from a disease something like a heavy coat protects you from the cold the Department of Health laboratory in Betty's toown plays a very important part in the fight against disease here tests are made and studied each dark spot is a colony of germs if nothing is done to stop the spread of germs they can make thousands of people sick the Department of Health fights in many ways to keep germs from spreading through the town the milk you drink must be fresh and free from harmful germs at the local daies inspectors from the Department of Health take samples of milk these samples are tested in the laboratory to make sure that they are free from germs which might be dangerous to you how about water after all everyone drinks water well then isn't it important for that water to be safe and good to drink it certainly is technicians at the Department of Health test many samples of water every day to make sure that they are pure and free from germs this careful testing protects you every time you take a drink of water how do you know that food in restaurants is good and safe to eat Health Inspectors carefully examine all the restaurants in town they make certain that food is prepared and served here with the same care and cleanliness as it would be in your kitchen at home you can be certain that a restaurant inspected by the Department of Health is a safe place to [Music] eat here is another way that disease germs can be spread millions of germs can live and grow in waste like this when people are careless with waste it's easy for disease to spread the Department of Health fights this kind of carelessness and teaches care like this making certain that garbage and other waste materials are disposed of properly is an important way in which the Department of Health fights germs and disease protecting the health of an entire town requires the work of many people volunteer workers in your town May arrange meetings where parents with young children can talk with the town doctors here A mother can see how her child is growing and learn the best ways to keep him healthy if you are handicapped you might find that your town has special classes for handicapped children the town May arrange for chest x-rays which can detect diseases whose symptoms are hidden to view the X-ray takes only a few seconds but it can help to discover certain diseases in their early stages when they are easier to cure your town may also provide visiting nurses who go out to homes where people need care for injuries or [Music] illness this is routine when an emergency strikes the Department of Health is ready for it a case of typhoid fever an uncommon and dangerous disease is reported soon another case of the same disease is discovered the next day a third case is reported if this disease is not stopped quickly it can spread through the town causing suffering Ing and death homes where the disease has broken out are put under quarantine when a house is under quarantine only doctors and nurses are allowed to go in and [Music] out three cases of typhoid fever the Department of Health must find out how the disease is spreading and stop the spread like detectives searching for Clues they ask questions where does your husband work what restaurants does he eat in has there been any trouble with the plumbing in your home where do you buy your groceries do you know either of the other two sick people do you go swimming in a pool samples of water are taken from the homes of the sick people the samples are tested to see if sewage has gotten into the water more tests are made and more questions are asked do you work out in a gym do you have any friends who live on Oak Street have you taken a drink from a stream the answers to hundreds of questions and tests are put together and compared and finally three answers are found that match all three of the sick people ate in the same restaurant the week before they became ill the men and women who work at the restaurant are given complete physical examinations and are thoroughly [Music] questioned the restaurant itself is inspected to The Last Detail questions and tests and finally the answer is found this man recently quit working as a dishwasher in the restaurant the results of a thorough examination show that he carries the germs of the disease in his body even though he isn't sick himself the germs traveled from his body to his hands and from them to the dishes he washed now that the person who carries the germs has been discovered he can be treated and the spread of the disease is stopped Betty is feeling much better Dr Fuller examines her and finds that she no longer has the measles the doctor writes a note to Betty's teacher saying that Betty is cured of the measles and that she can go back to [Music] school what can you do to help fight the spread of disease in your town first keep yourself healthy follow all the rules of good health second don't be careless be careful about germs third help keep your house and your town clean don't let germs breed where you live and finally when you are sick stay at home in bed you'll get well more quickly and you won't spread your germs to others in Betty's town and yours there are Fighters men and women who fight to keep your town a safe and happy place to live there are the policemen who fight crime and protect you in traffic and there are the firemen who ride the engines to fight fires but she is a fighter too and so is he and so is she all the people in the Department of Health are Fighters too Fighters against disease and death in the fight to keep your town a happy and a healthy place to [Music] live oh