Banner Graphic, Volume 12, Number 95, Greencastle, Putnam County, 30 December 1981 — Page 7

Calendar of events Thursday The Beech Grove United Methodist Church will have an oyster and chili supper on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. Everyone in the community is invited. An "Old Fashion Square Dance" will be held on New ear's Eve, beginning at 9 p.m. The dance will also be held on Saturday, Jan. 2 from 8 p.m. until midnight. The dances are sponsored by the Ch. 7 Travelers CB Club. The public is invited. The Putnam County Singles will hold their annual New Year’s Eve party on Thursday, Dec. 31 at 8:30 p.m. Children will have their own party in the basement. There will be a breakfast and clean-up at 2 a.m. Passports will be your favorite dance record or tape. There will be a slight charge. For details, call John Jones at 653-6081 or Bill Gould at 6539625. Saturday There will be a euchre party (weather permitting) on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Putnam County Senior Citizens Center, 9 West Franklin St. Sunday The regular meeting of the Putnam County REACT board will be held on Sunday. Jan. 3 at 1:30 p.m. A general meeting will follow at 2:30 at City Hall in Greencastle. The club welcomes any would-be members Alpha Delta Kappa sorority will meet on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 5 p.m. at the home of Aral Groner. Monday The Putnam County Singles will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4 at the Cloverdale Community Building for a sing-a-long with Don Perry on guitar. Men are asked to bring cheese and crackers and ladies are asked to bring drinks and donations. This will be a family affair. Singles are welcome. Tuesday Putnam County Singles officers will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. at the home of Andrea McConahay to plan future activities. Ladies are asked to bring salads and men are asked to bring drinks. Tri Kappa will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. in the Episciopal Church. Wednesday There will be no Parents Anonymous Meeting at Gobin Church this week. Meetings will resume next week on Wednesday, Jan. 6. Associate Tri Kappa will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. at the home of Mrs. Cass 11 Grubb, 5 Paradise Lane, Greencastle. Tots Time Center will be closed during school vacation on Wednesday, December 30. Babysitting will begin again on W'ednesday, January 6 from 9 a.m. to noon, at First Baptist Church, Judson Drive. Watch Calendar of Events for information about getting arjde for that day. For further inquiries, phone CONTACT, 653-2645 (collect calls accepted).

The deadline for calendar of events items is as follows: Monday evening - 1 p.m. Friday: Tuesday evening - 1 p.m. Monday; Wednesday evening - Friday evening -1 p.m. Thursday. The calendar is not published on Saturdays. For maximum exposure of calendar items, they should be submitted todays in advance of the scheduled meeting.

Coupons

Consumers are contributors to a multi-million-dollar industry

c. 1980 N.Y. Times News Service CLINTON, lowa Coupons. Hundreds of thousands of coupons. Millions of coupons. All being dumped on the long tables of the A.C. Nielsen ‘ facility here, where workers examine and count them, one by one, an average of 875 an hour, 6,562 a day, 32,180 a week, 1.7 million a year. This is the last stop for coupons, which have grown into an industry with annual multi-million-dollar revenues. Producers and distributors of food, household products, toiletries and other mer- , chandise will issue 90 billion coupons this year, up from 16.4 billion in 1970, an increase of more than ( 450 percent. The Department of Agriculture estimates that 80 percent of American food shoppers use coupons, clipping them from newspapers and magazines, . from fliers that appear on front porches, from hot dog and balogna wrappers and cat food boxes, trying desperately to cut dramatically rising food . bills. - Newsletters about coupons are distributed, they are discussed on television and radio talk shows, and groups have been formed to trade them. In • coming years, according to trade estimates, the •coupon industry the word “couponing” has been ’ coined to describe the trade will grow 10 to 15 per--cent a year. ' Couponing is an odd business: Despite the coupons’ value, only a small percentage of them are ever redeemed. And it is a controversial business: -Some consumer groups suggest coupons cost the public more than they save. In 1979, according to Nielsen’s records, 81.2 billion coupons were issued by manufacturers. Only some 3.4 billion about 4 percent were redeemed, a rate that Nielsen said was typical. The average ' family redeemed 70 coupons, the average value of . redeemed coupons was 17.9 cents, the average value of distributed coupons 17.1 cents, up from 10.2 cents in 1971. About 52 percent of coupons appear in daily newspapers, and 24 percent more in Sunday supplements. Twelve percent are distributed in magazines, 8 percent are attached to the products themselves, and 3 percent are mailed. Little is known about the industry’s origins, but the C.W' Post Co. of Battle Creek, Mich., offered one-cent certificates on its new health food, “GrapeNuts,” when it introduced the cereal in 1895, and Proctor & Gamble says it has been issuing coupons since 1927. By 1964 there were perhaps 350 companies issuing coupons; today, there are more than -1,000. Nielsen, the marketing and research company best known for its ratings of which shows television

Measles

Inflation may interrupt the elimination of the childhood disease

By Sally Squires Newhouse News Services WASHINGTON - Measles, once considered unavoidable in childhood, is steadily being eliminated in the United States by an aggressive vaccination program. A side effect of measles elimination effort has been a decline in other serious childhood diseases, including mumps, rubella, diptheria and tetanus. "This year is a record low year (in the United States) for measles," says Dr. Alan Bloch, a medical epidemiologist at the Federal Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. “One of the benefits of the measles elimination program has been a dramatic drop in rubella and mumps as well.” But public health experts warn that inflation and federal budget cuts could erode those advances if a carefully orchestrated effort is not made by federal, state and local health departments to continue the program. Inflation alone will raise the cost of measles vaccine by about 25 percent. The CDC, which provides much of the vaccine to state health departments, expects to provide the same amount of vaccine as 1981. But some states, strapped for funds, are reducing public health clinic hours and laying off staff-a trend that worries many public health experts. “I think if there is a continuity of effort between our grant program and the state programs, we should be able to stay on target,” says Jack Kirby, chief of operations for CDC’s immunization program. “But a lot of our success is going to depend

House Call

Cause of birth defects is subject to speculation

By G. Timothy Johnson, M.I). Question: We were saddened recently when we heard that our neighbor’s baby boy is mentally retarded. The mother is only 29 and I wonder what could have caused this situation. I thought birth defects were more commonly a problem among babies born to older women. Answer: Unfortunately, the answer is not as clearcut as you (and many parents of retarded children) would like. Several environmental conditions and genetic abnormalities have been lined to retardation, but an exact cause cannot be pinned down in up to 80 per cent of the cases. The most-studied cause of retardation is Down’s symdrome, in which the child inherits surplus genetic material - one chromosome - from the mother. This extra chromosome is more likely to appear in children born to mothers over 35, as you suggest, but it has been known to occur in younger women, too. Another gene-related con-

sets are tuned to, formed the Nielsen Clearing House in 1956 as its coupon division. It is the oldest and largest coupon redemption business in the country and its statistics on the industry, for the most part the only in-depth figures available, are accepted as accurate by competitors. The coupon industry depends on places like this, a one-story building in downtown Clinton, a rather bleak, one-time lumber and railroad center near the west bank of the Mississippi River. Each coupon must be processed by hand, says Richard Aycrigg, research director of the Clearing House, making the industry highly labor-intensive. Aycrigg estimated that there are perhaps 20 coupon redemption businesses in the United States. Nielsen also operates two redemption facilities on the U.S.Mexican border and a fourth one in Mexico. Nielsen says it deals with about 500 manufacturers and about 180,000 retailers. It receives coupons from retailers or from manufacturers’ collection facilities, sorts and tabulates them and issues checks to retailers for the discounts paid to consumers. Nielsen also pays the retailer’s commission, seven cents a coupon. It then sends its tabulations to the manufacturers, who reimburse Nielsen for the money it has sent to the retailers and adds Nielsen’s commission. Nielsen says it receives 1 to 1.5 cents for each coupon it handles. About 7:30 each morning, huge sacks of coupons arrive at the company’s facility from the Clinton Post Office. They are carried to a small army of workers, who examine each coupon and log it according to the code numbers Nielsen has assigned to retailers. Another list is tabulated according to manufacturer, and Nielsen forwards this to the manufacturers with a tabulation of money paid and a request for reimbursement. All the workers are women. Aycrigg says he does not know why this is so, although he says that perhaps it is because sorting coupons is perceived as women’s work. Robert McCarthy, a supervisor, says the best workers are middle-aged women. According to Chain Store Age, a trade publication, some stores believe that coupons can, on certain items, increase sales as much as 15 percent. But coupons have generated controversy as well as sales. In 1979, American consumers received about $6lO million from manufacturer's for redeemed coupons, according to Nielsen, and retailers earned $l7O million in coupon fees. Nielsen, in figures supported by the Department of Agriculture, says coupons add only three-tenths of one percent to the nation’s grocery bill. However, Giant Food a chain based in-Lan-

dition is the so-called “fragile-X syndrome.” People with this syndrome have the proper number of chromosomes, but a single chromosome (which is shaped like the letter “X”) is fragmented. Male babies are more likely to have the fragileX condition, but it doesn’t seem to depend on the mother’s age. Because of your neighbor’s age and the fact that she had a son, I might guess the baby is affected by the fragile-X syndrome, but the only way to tell for sure is with a chromosome test. A variety of problems during pregnancy (such as insufficient oxygen or an infection), plus disorders of the body’s chemical systems, account for most cases of mental retardation. Experts estimate Down’s syndrome affects only one of every 1,000 live births in the United States, while the fragile-X syndrome affects about half as many infants. Dear Readers: One of the most distressing complications of diabetes is the development

dover, Md., with 122 stores in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, contends that manufacturers might be wise to eliminate coupons. The cost to supermarkets and other retailers is very high, a Giant Food spokesman said, and the savings to consumers is not that significant. Esther Peterson, special assistant to the president for consumer affairs, thinks that coupons should be ended if consumers could be assured that the savings would be passed on to them. She believes coupons are used largely for what many nutritionists describe as gimmick foods. However, she said she has come to believe that coupons at least pass on to consumers some portion of the promotion money that food companies spend. The Community Nutrition Institute of Washington said that while it is against coupons, it has not taken a formal position on them because it feels they offer some food savings to low-income people. But according to Nielsen surveys, the highest rate of coupon redemption occurs with medium- and upperincome families A major concern of Nielsen and other coupon concerns is fraud. Manufacturers are sensitive about coupons, demanding a foolproof destruction system. Each day, explained Robert McCarthy, a supervisor here, the coupons are transported to a disposal facility, treated with chemicals and reduced to liquid paste. But there are other problems as well: Nielsen estimates that 10 to 20 percent of redeemed coupons are redeemed fraudulently. Most frauds, Aycrigg believes, come from what he called “two register grocery stores,” where owners or employees obtain coupons that they have not paid consumers for and send them to clearing houses for payment. The company said that, in 1979, it referred $90,000 worth of suspicious coupons to one manufacturer, and that the company refused payment on $75,000 worth of them. The U S. Postal Service and the FBI probe coupon fraud. The FBI said it presently had one major case of alleged coupon fraud under investigation. Nielsen prides itself on quick payment to retailers, but, according to Giant Food, a large chain like itself, can have as much as $600,000 in balances due from manufacturers for coupons it has redeemed. Experiments are under way to develop automated equipment for sorting and tabulating coupons, but Nielsen executives say it seems years away.

on the ability of the states to continue their programs." An estimated 1 million children worldwide die each year from measles, a viral disease characterized by a fever and coldlike symptoms followed by a skin rash. The illness lasts for about a week and is not very serious in most cases. But one of every 1,000 persons with measles develops encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, as a complication, and that disease can result in permanent blindness, hearing loss and mental retardation. All 50 states and the District of Columbia now require that children be vaccinated before they enter kindergarten or first grade in the United States. In addition, 38 states have passed tougher laws, requiring students to show proof that they have been immunized no matter what their age. Those laws, combined with the measles campaign waged by the federal government, have reduced the number of measles deaths reported so far in 1981 to two, compared with 15 in 1977 and about 500 a year in the early 19605. Annual cases of the disease also have been cut 80 percent from 13,500 reported during 1980 to 2,968 reported as of Dec. 12,1981. Public health officials say those figures are evidence of a successful campaign. They expect to meet the Oct 1,1982, deadline, set three years ago by then Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph Califano, for halting transmission of measles within the United States. An offshoot of the measles program has been a decrease in the

of eye problems. Diabetics are 25 times more prone to blindness or partial vision loss than non-diabetics, and they are four to six times more likely to develop cataracts and other abnormalities. Very little can be done to prevent such disorders. But it is clear that yearly trips to the eye doctor can help detect diseases early and improve the chances of treating them successfully. One treatment currently used (called photocoagulation) is designed to fix “leaky” blood vessels in the eye. (Diabetes tends to make small blood vessels leak, particularly those in the eyes.) Photocoagulation involves shining a laser beam at the affected area of the eye. Laser light coagulates the blood vessel wall and seals the leaks. The treatment is very effective and studies now indicate that photocoagulation -- if started when eye damage is just beginning - often prevents more severe complications from occurring.

Question: A fellow office worker has come down with hepatitis. We are all very nervous about this and wonder if we should get some kind of shot to protect us. What would be the best kind of shot to get? Answer: The question of when to seek protection for hepatitis is very complicated. There are three varieties of hepatitis, designated Type A, Type B and Non-A, Non-B. Shots are of no known value against the Non-A, Non-B variety. Injections of immunoglobulin tor 1G) are effective against both hepatitis A and B. In certain situations, Type B may be treated with another substance known as hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG). Exactly when either one of these shots should be given depends very much on the

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December 30,1981, The Putnam County Banner-Graphic

incidence of other childhood diseases, due in part to the fact that 75 percent of measles vaccinations are given in combination with vaccines for rubella and mumps. As of Dec. 12, only 194 rubella cases vere reported to the CDC compared with 3,655 cases in 1980. Rubella, or German measles, is another viral illness associated with a skin rash. Young children can spread the disease to their mothers, which is particularly dangerous if the women are pregnant because rubella causes severe birth defects. Mumps also decreased from 8,115 cases reported in 1980 to 4,313 as of Dec. 12,1981. The number of diptheria cases nationwide declined to three in 1980 and four so far this year compared with 307 cases in 1975 before the vaccination program began. The number of tetanus cases among children also is declining, but the problem with tetanus, Bloch says, “Is that it’s now primarily a disease of the elderly who have never been properly vaccinated.” Thus, there’s now a drive to have adults vaccinated every 10 years against Tetanus and Diptheria. A 1979 report by Congress’s Office of Technology Assessment notes that “the history of measles control in this country clearly demonstrates a relationship between increased government financing for mass immunization and reduced incidence of disease. It is strongly suggested that continued, long-term federal financing of state and local immunization programs is needed to effectively control certain communicable diseases.” -•

nature of the case and the type of exposure. In general, however, casual office or school exposure does not require a preventive shot. You should, of course, check with your physician for specific recommendations in your case. DEAR READERS: A letter and editorial in the August 1981 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clincal Immunology point out that many of the liquid antiasthma preparations available today contain various amounts of alcohol. It therefore may be important for children who must take such medication on a continuing basis to receive one that is very low in alcohol, or even totally free of it. For those of you so affected, it would be wise to ask your physician or pharmacist about the alcohol content of asthma medications.

Diabetes affects between for and 10 million people in the country - and the number increases an alarming 6 percent every year. In fact, diabetes is the most common metabolio disorder in humans. Yet it is one of the few medical defects in which the patient can have a major impact on the course of the disease. In his new HEALTHBEAT Special Report, Dr. Johnson tells you what diabetes is and what you can do to control it. For a copy of his informative and encouraging report, send $1 and a long, stamped (20 cents) ; selfaddressed envelope to DIABETES REPORT. Box 259, Norwood, N.J. 07648. Make check payable to Newspaperbooks. (C) 1981 By The Chicago Tribune-New York

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