Towns was 132 (an 83 percent increase on the preceding week's total) of which 78 deaths occurred in London and S. E, regions. Of the total deaths, 112 were among persons aged 55 and over. Scotland is as yet unaffected, but there are reports of a few local cases in the Midlands.

During January, 39 counties and 7 independent cities in Virginia reported 241 cases of infectious hepatitis. Of these, 6 counties and 2 independent cities reported 10 or more cases.

Leptospirosis

Dr. G. E. McDaniel, South Carolina State Board of Health, reports a case of leptospirosis in a caretaker for a group of court apartments. He was responsible for cleaning dog pens after the animals were removed. Leptospira were not isolated but agglutinatin at the CDC laboratories in Chamblee, Georgia, were positive for L. canicola.

Infectious hepatitis

Dr. S. C. Kravitz, Epidemic Intelligence Service, USPHS, reports an outbreak of infectious hepatitis in Frederick County, Maryland. A total of 42 cases was reported between November 13, 1952, and January 31, 1953. Most of these cases have been in children attending one school. The disease was found to be mild in all instances. The mode of spread appears to be persort-toperson. Food, milk, and water seem to be eliminated as a possible source. Teachers and children of the school were inoculated with gamma globulin and family contacts are being injected with the serum. The investigation carried out jointly with the county health officer is still continuing, and a final report will be submitted later.

Suspected Q fever

Dr. G. E. McDaniel reports a suspect case of Q fever in a 37-year-old white man in South Carolina. Two complement fixation tests at CDC laboratories have shown a positive reaction in dilutions of 1:8 and 1:16 approximately a month apart. Further study and other laboratory examinations will be made before this case is positively accepted as Q fever.

Anthrax-

--062 Botulism-

----049.1 Brucellosis (undulant fever)-

-----044 31 Diphtheria----

----055

47 Encephalitis, acute infectious---082 16 Hepatitis, infectious, and serum-

--092,1998.5 pt. 659 Malaria

110-117 10 Measles

------085

7,207 Meningococcal infections---------057 155 Poliomyelitis, acute-------------080 139 Rabies in man------- --------094 Rocky Mountain spotted fever----104A Scarlet fever and streptococcal sore throat

--050,051 4,277 Smallpox---

--084 Trichiniasis

--128

3 Tularemia

------059 11 Typhoid fever

-----040 17 Typhus fever, endemic- ---------101

1 Whooping cough-

---056 665

621

23 18,825 12,207 122

85 108 106

(1) 1) 63, 169

1,976 57,175 (4) (?)

3,487

67 32,395

744 929

2,035

155 76,902

580 661

45,621

435 581

Rabies in animals

INot computed.

These provisional data are based on reports from State and territorial health departments to the Public Health Service. They give the total number of cases of certain communicable diseases reported during the week usually ended the preceding

Saturday. When the diseases which rarely occur (cholera, dengue, plague, typhus fever-epidemic, and yellow fever) are reported, they will be noted under the table above.