January 16, 1953

Washington 25, D.C.

THE LIBRARYVOL 2 No. 1

UNIVERSITY Ibre

Provisional Information on Selected Notifiable Diseases in the United States forc53

Week Ended January 10, 1953.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL REPORTS

students of the University of Florida, in Gainesville. The fatbreak

began on January 4, when students returned from vacation. Mate-
Smallpox

rial is being collected for a specific diagnosis.
Dr. E. A. Belden, Missouri Department of Public Health and The Preventive Medicine Division, U. S. Navy, reports there
Welfare, reports a case of smallpox in a white male, age 19, in has been a definite increase in upper respiratory disease in a
Jefferson County. The patient, who attended college in India na, military establishment in Maryland within the past week. A large
left for his home by train 13 days prior to onset of the illness, proportion are presenting a clinical picture of influenza.
which was on January 1, 1953. He was vaccinated 12 years ago Dr. L. E. Burney, Indiana State Health Commissioner, reports
and had chickenpox at the age of 3. Laboratory studies are under- a sudden outbreak of upper respiratory infection in De Pauw Uni -
way. A delayed case of smallpox, with onset December 20, wasversity. About 245 cases have been reported and material is
reported in Vernon County. No additional cases have occurred in being collected for laboratory tests. Dr. M. I. Shanholtz, Virginia
either locality.

State Health Commissioner, states that an outbreak has occurred
Dr. R. H. Heeren, Iowa State Department of Health, gives in Appomattox County in which malaise and bronchitis are common
additional information on the case of smallpox reported for the symptoms. None of the cases have had pneumonia and no fatali-
week ended December 13. This case occurred in Sioux City where ties have been reported. Dr. G. J. Van Heuvelen, South Dakota
no smallpox has been diagnosed for several years. The source State Health Officer, has been notified of an outbreak of an esti-
of infection was not determined. The patient was a 11-year-old mated 5,000 cases of respiratory disease in Sioux Falls. Dr.
boy who had a successful vaccination about 5 years ago. No lab- G. F. Mathews, Oklahoma Commissioner of Health, reports an
oratory tests have been made which might confirm or reject the outbreak of 400 to 500 cases in Stephens County, and a high prev-
diagnosis, consequently this case is reported as ''not confirmed." alence of cases in Washington County and Oklahoma City. A high

incidence of respiratory disease which began on December 29 is
Influenza and other respiratory diseases

also reported from a federal penal institution in Oklahoma. Dr.
The following reports have been received by the Influenza G. W. Cox, Texas State Health Officer, reports that 14 counties
Information Center, National Institutes of Health, and by the have reported 100 or more cases of influenza for the week ended
National Office of Vital Statistics.

January 3. Areas of highest incidence are in western Texas and
Dr. A. P. McKee, of the Influenza Regional Laboratory, Iowa in the Panhandle region, but localized areas of high incidence are
City, Iowa, reports the isolation of 6 strains of influenza A virus present in scattered sections throughout the State. Epidemiologi -
resembling the FM-1 strain, from cases in Iowa City. He has cal investigations are being conducted in several areas and pre-
also isolated influenza A strains from a military installation in liminary reports reveal that the clinical picture has been compati-
Missouri, similar to those previously recovered by Dr. M.R. ble with a diagnosis of influenza, but the disease is not of unusual
Hilleman from the same place.

severity. Laboratory examinations are being conducted. Dr. E. A.
Dr. Gordon Meikeljohn, of the Influenza Collaborating Lab- Belden, Missouri Department of Public Health and Welfare, states
oratory, Denver, and the Division of Preventive Medicine, United that approximately 150 cases of influenza were reported by a
States Air Force, reports an outbreak of influenza at a military physician in Greene County. Widespread prevalence of respiratory
installation in Colorado, beginning January 4. Five pair ed serum disease in the State is suggested. A small outbreak in Connecticut
samples showed marked rise in titer to A-prime antigen. Cases has been reported by Dr. J. C. Hart. The cases, diagnosed clini-
of influenza-like disease appeared earlier in the near-by civilian cally as influenza began December 29. Laboratory tests on blood
population. Reports of an increased respiratory disease rate at samples are not yet available,
Air Force Bases in Texas and South Dakota have also been re- The above reports indicate widespread prevalence of respira -
ceived. The Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of the tory disease in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Army and Dr. Jonas Salk, University of Pittsburgh, report that Influenza A-prime was confirmed in 4 States, Iowa, Missouri,
4 pairs of serum from an outbreak of influenza-like disease at Colorado and New Jersey. Other localized outbreaks have not yet
a military installation in New Jersey show a significant rise to been identified as to type of disease present.
influenza A-prime antigens.

The number of deaths from influenza and pneumonia reported
The Army Medical Service Graduate School reports the by 58 cities was 291 for the week ended January 3 as compared
identification as influenza A-prime of a strain of virus recovered with 230 for the previous week. The numbers reported for these
by the Hawaiian Medical Laboratory at Tripler Army Hospital, cities by geographic division, with figures for the previous week
Hawali. The patient became ill on the 21st or 22d of November in parentheses, were: New England, 16 (17); Middle Atlantic, 103
in Hawaii after leaving the Philippine Islands on November 19. (92); East North Central, 58 (43); West North Central, 32 (22);
The antigenic characteristics of this strain are similar to strains South Atlantic, 30 (23); East South Central, 14 (7); West South
recently recovered in Missouri;

Central, 22 (12); Mountain, 6 (7); and Pacific, 10 (7).
Dr. E. H. Lennette, Influenza Regional Laboratory, Berkeley, Dr. C. H, Andrewes, World Influenza Center, London, reports
California, reports positive serologic diagnosis for 3 cases of very little influenza A in the south of England. One case in Surrey
influenza A, one in October, one in November, and one in the early has been identified serologically as influenza A. A virus of the
part of December, and two cases of influenza B, one in September A-prime type has been obtained from a fatal case in Kent.
and one in November.

The virus was closely related to the Scandinavian strains in
Dr. A. V. Hardy, Influenza Collaborating Laboratory, Florida 1950-51. There is no evidence yet of a widespread outbreak.
State Health Department, reports an influenza-like disease among Dr. Andrewes is forwarding to Dr. Magill, of the Strain Study

Table 1. COMPARATIVE DATA FOR CASES OF SPECIFIED NOTIFIABLE DBEASES: UNITED STATES

(Numbers after diseases are category numbers of the Sixth Revision of the International Lists, 1948)

NOTE. -One case of smallpox reported by Indiana for week ended January 3, changed to chickenpoz.

For the purposes of weekly comparison over a period of years, the first week of the year is taken to be that week which has 4 or more days of the new year. According to this rule, the week ended January 3, 1953, was counted as the 53rd week of 1952, and it was compared with the first week of 1952. At the beginning of 1953, the first week of 1952 was again used for comparison, this time with the first week of 1953.

SOURCE AND NATURE OF DATA

Symbols.-1 dash [-]: no cases reported; asterisk [:] : disease stated not notifiable; parentheses, [ ] in total; 3 dashes [---] : data not available.

i12.72
Un 3 moi

REMOTASESRES

Table 2. OF SPECIFIED DISEASES WITH COMPARATIVE DATA: UNITED STATES,

EACH DIVISION AND STATE FOR WEEK ENDED JANUARY 10, 1953
(Numbers under diseases are bate goumbers of the Sixth Revision of the International Lists, 1948)

HEPATITIS,
INFECTIOUS,

AND SERUM
(092, N998.5 pt.)

(085)

(057)

(080)