THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH ON MALARIA 

 IN CALIFORNIA 



"There are no complete statistics on malaria in 

 California. The disease seldom results directly in 

 death. In 1909 there were only 112 deaths 1 from 

 malaria in the state, of which 104 were in Northern and 

 Central California, and eight in Southern California. 

 The average age at death of cases reported is 44 years. 

 The mortality in California is probably less than 2 per 

 cent, which would indicate approximately 5000 or 

 6000 cases in the past year. The Sacramento and San 

 Joaquin Valleys are crossed by many tributaries of 

 their two great rivers. The districts adjacent to these 

 tributaries and close to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada 

 Range are involved primarily in the spread of this 

 disease, though its victims have transferred their 

 residence to every part of the State. The annual losses 

 from malaria may be estimated for purposes of il- 

 lustration as follows. 2 (See Table on page 6, giving 

 total loss at #2,820,400.) 



1 The United States census, 1909, mortality report gives malaria 4.8 

 deaths per 100,000 population for the entire registration area. Checking 

 this by the 1910 census, just completed for California, which gives over 

 2,300,000, the result is a striking verification of the forecast (23.5 X 4.8 = 

 1 1 2.8 deaths). 



2 Professor L. O. Howard, entomologist for the United States Depart- 



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