62 MOSQUITO ERADICATION 



make such an investment. Because of the change of ideas concerning 

 the cause and possibilities of prevention of malaria, there is a marked 

 improvement in the method of screening of houses in malarial districts, 

 and the percentage of houses kept efficiently screened has increased 

 very largely. In sections where the hotels at sea-shore resorts were 

 formerly filled only in the non-fever season, the proprietors report, as a 

 result of malaria-control measures, they now have all the business they 

 can handle throughout the entire year. 



"Considering the fact that a few years ago hundreds of communities 

 were seriously affected and with no apparent relief in sight, that the 

 public in general had no visible proof of the possibilities of malaria 

 eradication, and too large a proportion of our public was wrongly 

 informed regarding the cause of malaria, it is gratifying to note that this 

 year over a hundred of these same places have decided to finance 

 campaigns for malaria elimination. They have already appropriated 

 for this season's work nearly 20 times as much as the original annual 

 Federal appropriation, 1914-1917. 



"It is even more encouraging to note that there is a strong demand for 

 state and county aid along these lines, and that such support has already 

 been given and has the approval of the public. What is also important 

 is that a large part of the public now realize that it costs them much 

 more to continue to suffer and support the financial loss caused by 

 malaria than it does to eliminate the disease from their community.'' 



ERADICATION CHEAPER THAN ENDURING MALARIA 



LePrince's last sentence embodies a truth that should be 

 seriously considered by every community that suffers from 

 malaria. The demonstrations already described in this chapter 

 prove that the average town can free itself from malaria and 

 kindred mosquito-borne diseases and the annoyance of mosquitoes 

 for much less than it costs to endure them. 



Estimates of the cost of an attack of malaria vary, but it is 

 believed that Van Dine's estimate of 6.42 adult days' loss of 

 time per average reported case is conservative. No matter what 

 the wage may be, the loss will be considerable. If to this loss 

 be added the loss occasioned by decreased efficiency, both before 

 and after the acute attack, the physician's bill and the cost of 

 medicine, it is apparent that the average cost of a case of malaria 

 will not be much below $15 or $20 and may be considerably 

 beyond the latter figure. In addition to this, there is another big, 

 though not apparent, loss occasioned by decreased efficiency of 

 those who have only comparatively slight attacks and do not 

 consult physicians. 



