With September 1959 coming to a close, politicians and health officials scrambled to deal with the deadly outbreak along the Jersey Shore of encephalitis, commonly known as “sleeping sickness.” On the 24th of the month, the Tuckerton Beacon identified the culprit and how it operated.

“An official of the state Department of Health said yesterday that there is no possibility that encephalitis is transmitted from man to man or from horse to man.