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B lack H istory M o nth „W
Local Editor Fought for Education “Superbugs’ are New Health Threat
Page A 6
February 0 4 , 2 0 0 4
c o u e ra a e *
Beatrice M orrow Cannady was
a pioneer o f A frican-A m erican
education in Oregon.
A tireless civil rights activist,
she also dissem inated inform a
tion about the history o f African-
A m ericans through lectures, writ
ings, and her own personal lend
ing library.
Cannady persuaded the Port
land Board o f Education to teach
African-A m erican history in area
high schools and played an in
strum ental role in the desegrega
tion o f schools in Vernonia and
L o n g v ie w . S he a lso e d ite d
Portland’s leading African-Ameri
can new spaper, “The A dvocate,”
and was a founding m em ber of
the Portland chapter o f the N a
tional A ssociation for the A d
vancem ent o f Colored People.
In 1926 she h elp ed repeal
O regon’s notorious “black laws,”
which prohibited the settlement
o f African A m ericans in the state
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
and denied voting rights to people
Beatrice Morrow Cannady edited Portland's African-American
o f color.
She died in 1974 at the age o f newspaper “ The Advocate, ’ and was a founding member o f the
Portland chapter o f the NAACP.
84.
ous medications. These bacterial
infections require extended hospi
talization and can cause disability
or even death.
Overuse o f antibiotics is the pri
mary way that superbugs get cre
ated. As antibiotics kill susceptible
bacteria, this leaves more room and
nutrients for powerful, resistant
bacteria to grow. They multiply and
Earlierthis month, my wife and
I experienced the anxiety and fear
that most parents never want to
go through. Our eight-year-old
daughter was taken by ambulance
to the hospital for an emergency
appendectomy. Like most parents
in this situation, we were grateful
for the great skill and care of the
doctors and nurses who helped
our daughter.
And, we were thankful that the
bacteria causing my daughter’s
illness weren’t antibiotic-resis
tant “superbugs.”
Antibiotic resistant bacteria
have been dubbed “superbugs”
because they are extremely hard
to treat. They cal 1 for longer treat
ments with stronger, more expen
sive and potentially more danger-
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I
While this may sound like
science fiction, the
unfortunate truth is that
superhugs are already here.
- Dr. Mel Kohn, Oregon Dept. of Human Services
soon take over.
spread of superbugs? Health care
While this may sound like sci providers are half the answer. Sev
ence fiction, the unfortunate truth eral years ago, public health offi
is that superbugs are already here. cials began an effort to discourage
A 2001 study of illnesses in the health practitioners from prescrib
Portland area found that 20 percent ing antibiotics for coughs, colds
of infections caused by Strepto
continued
on page A8
coccus pneumoniae, the leading
Fighting Tobacco
STD Clinic
th e word out.
cause of meningitis, pneumoniaand
ear infections, were resistant to
penicillin. And here’s another truth:
only 24 percent of Oregonians know
about the danger of antibiotic re
sistance, according to a recent tele
phone survey conducted by the
Oregon Department of Human Ser
vices.
What can we do to stop the
Multnomah County . h e a lth Department
State tackles
smoking disparities
by minorities
Oregon has joined a national
effort to break the disparities in
smoking among minority com m u
nities and lesson the tobacco
in d u stry ’s g rasp on m in o rity
populations.
A state survey by the Tobacco
Prevention and Education Project
found a high prevalence o f to
bacco use among African A m eri
cans, N ative A m ericans, 18-24
year olds, som e A sian/Pacific
Islander groups, low socioeco
nomic groups and the gay com
munity.
Studies also showed that to
bacco com panies aggressively
target m inority, disadvantaged
HAVE A DREAM
and young populations. In addi
tion, lim ited resources are spent
on tobacco prevention program s
among com m unities with health
disparities.
The Oregon Health Department
aims to reduce tobacco use by
im plem enting prevention pro
gram s for those m ost at risk.
The Federal Centers for D is
ease C ontrol sponsored effort
provides training and financial
support necessary to create a stra
tegic plan to identify and elim i
nate the disparities.
Research indicates that sw eep
ing changes in attitudes against
tobacco use have been woven
into our social fabric over the last
20 years. Oregon officials esti
mate that the latest efforts against
smoking will save 1,800 lives and
$450 million in health care costs.
zz
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Delivered in front o f the Lincoln Memorial
August 28, 1963
Don't let the tobacco industry
cloud your dreams.
The tobacco industry spends more than
$100 million annually in Oregon to
market its deadly products.
The industry targets all Oregonians ...
especially young people and many
minority communities.
D eclare
F reedom
from
T obacco
/( dhs
In Oregon, 27 percent of adult African-
Americans smoke. The Hispanic rate is 18
percent; Asian/Pacific Islander smoking rate
is 14 percent; and 44 percent of
adult American Indians smoke.
Protect yourself, your loved ones
and your community.
Call the Oregon Tobacco Quit Line.
1-877-270-STOP
Tobacco Prevention and Eduction Program
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