Provisional Information on Selected Notifiable Diseases in the United States for Week Ended January 31, 1953 being closed because of upper respiratory infections. Subsequent to this, a mild type of influenza appeared to be occurring throughInfluenza out the State, and for the week ended January 31, more than 18,000 The following reports have been received by the Influenza cases were reported. Laboratory specimens are being obtained Information Center, N. I, H., and by the National Office of Vital in areas of high incidence. In Arkansas, the peak in incidence of Statistics. influenza apparently had been reached by January 17, since cases Strains of influenza A-prime virus have been recovered reported for the week ended January 24 were fewer in number. from three localized outbreaks of influenza in New York State Most cases have been mild but exceptions have been noted. On by the laboratories of the New York State Health Department, and January 29, Dr. S. J. Phillips, Louisiana State Health Officer, Dr. S. S. Kalter of Syracuse. Dr. Kalter also reports a number reported that the influenza appeared to be subsiding in 16 parishes of cases of an influenza-like disease among the students at of the State, and on the increase in 3. School absenteeism has run Syracuse University. Dr. R. M. Albrecht, New York State Health as high as 50 percent. Pneumonia is estimated to have occurred Department, reports that an outbreak of a disease clinically re- in less than 5 percent of the cases, except in í parish where the sembling mild influenza has been present among students in a col- estimate was 19 percent. Five deaths from influenza have been lege in the eastern part of the State since early January. reported, 1 in each of 5 parishes. Dr. M. M. Sigel, Children's Hospital, Philadelphia, reports Dr. Gordon Meiklejohn, University of Colorado, Denver, the isolation of influenza A-prime virus from patients at the reports that the peak of incidence of influenza has been passed University of Pennsylvania, although the incidence of disease was in the Denver area, although cases still are occurring. In other considered low. He has also obta ined serologic evidence of parts of the State, notably Grand Junction, incidence is now reinfluenza A from 2 other patients in the Philadelphia area, and portců at a peak level. He has demonstrated an increase in from 4 Navy personnel from aboard ship with onsets on January 9. influenza A antibody in 35 paired sera. In 9 of these, a significant Dr. H. M. Powell, the Lilly Research Laboratories, India napolis, rise for influenza A-prime is shown by hemagglutination inhibition has isolated 2 strains of influenza A-prime obtained on January 13 tests. from students at DePauw University, and 3 strains taken January In Montana, high incidence of respiratory disease has been 15 from students at Earlham College, Indiana. A high incidence of confined to a few counties, and there was no apparent increase in influenza was previously reported in both places. Dr. C.C. Croft, the number of cases for the week ended January 24, as compared Ohio Department of Health, has isolated influenza A-prime virus with the previous week. There appears to be an increased from Columbus and from Delaware, Ohio. Two paired serum incidence in respiratory disease, clinically influenza, in Wyoming. specimens from Delaware showed diagnostic rises in titer to Laboratory tests on specimens collected are not yet omplete. both FM-1 and A-prime Cuppett antigens, Dr. John H. Dingle, Reports from Utah indicate some increase in respiratory disease. Western Reserye University, Cleveland, has isolated one strain In Idaho, incidence is high in only a few areas. of influenza A-prime, but reported that there was no epidemic Dr. A. S. Lazarus, University of Washington, Seattle, reports prevalence at that time. Dr. Charles Hunter, Kansas State De- 15 paired sera showing a significant rise in titer for influenza Apartment of Health, has isolated influenza A-prime from 2 prime. For the week ended January 31, a total of 5,503 cases of localities in Kansas, Dr. Henry Bauer, Minnesota State Depart- respiratory infectious, including influenza, were reported in ment of Health, has isolated several strains of influenza A-prime the State. In California small numbers of cases of influenza were and found significant rises in 7 paired serum samples for in- reported from 15 counties. Forty additional laboratory confirfluenza A-prime since January 9. Dr. A. P. McKee, at the mations of an A type influenza were obtained. Influenza Regional Laboratory, Iowa City, has received reports The Divisions of Preventive Medicine of the Army, the Air from collaborating laboratories in Minnesota, South Dakota, Force, and the Navy, all report that the incidence of respiratory Kansas, and Nebraska, indicating the prevalence of an influenza- disease and influenza appears to be declining in nearly all military like disease and the collection of material for specific identifi- establishments vihere it has been high during recent weeks. The cation. In Kansas, incidence was still high for the week ended Army reports positive serological tests for influenza A-prime January 24, but there was no increase in the number of cases in military establishments in California and Utah. The Air Force as compared with the previous week. also reports positive serological tests from bases in Florida, On January 28, Dr. G. E. McDaniel, South Carolina Board South Carolina, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, California, and of Health, reported a continued high incidence of influenza and Alaska. upper respiratory disease in the State, but the peak apparently The Army Medical Service Graduate School reports the had been reached. High fever and intractable cough have char- identification of influenza A-prime virus from Japan in late acterized these illnesses. Dr, W. J. Murphy, Georgia Department December; and from Texas and Kentucky in January. They have of Public Health, at the same time reported that outbreaks of also obtained significant rise in titer with paired serum samples respiratory disease, presumably influenza, were occurring in from Illinois, Washington, D. C., and from Japan and Newfoundnumerous communities in the southwest, south central, and land. northeast parts of the State. Material for laboratory tests is An increase of 15 percent occurred in the numbers of deaths being collected. In Kentucky, approximately 20,000 cases of from influenza and pneumonia reported by 58 cities for the week respiratory infection have been reported in 18 counties. Dr. ended January 24. A total of 463 deaths was reported as compared W. H. Y. Smith, Alabama Health Department, states that reports with 404 for the previous week. The numbers reported for these began to be received in the middle of January that schools were cities by geographic division, with figures for the previous week in parentheses, were: New England, 35 (18); Middle Atlantic, 127 (147); East North Central, 83 (64); West North Central, 61 (46); South Atlantic, 45 (31); East South Central, 28 (19); West South Central, 33 (40); Mountain, 22 (20); and Pacific, 29 (19). The total number (463) for the week ended January 24 is approximately 50. percent higher than for the same week last year. However, in 1952 the influenza epidemic, predominately type B, did not appear until February. The same is true of the timing of the A-prime epidemic of 1951. The health officers of 9 large cities have supplied information on the age distribution of influenza and pneumonia deaths for the month of January 1953. Of the approximately 835 deaths reported, 26 percent were under 15 years of age, nearly 2 percent were between the ages of 15 and 24, 30 percent between 25 and 64, and 42 percent were 65 and over. These proportions are similar to the distribution of deaths for influenza and pneumonia for the United States in 1949, a year when there was no widespread outbreak of influenza. However, the few deaths, in which influenza was reported as the cause of death, were predominately (70 per cent) in persons 65 years of age and over. The WHO regional office for the western hemisphere (PanAmerican Sanitary Bureau) reports that the incidence of an influenza-like disease in Mexico continues to increase, but the cases are mild and are not affecting the general death rate. Reports from Brazil and the Dominican Republic indicate there is no unusual prevalence of influenza. However, they do report a mild form of influenza present in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, but there has been no increase in mortality. Dr. C. H. Andrewes, World Influenza Center, London, reports on a preliminary examination made on recently isolated influenza type A virus. Eight strains from Southern England and 3 U. S. strains (Matern, Gandsey, and Conley) are all inhibited to the highest titer by sera prepared against A/Sweden/3/50 and A/ England/1/53. There are big P-Q differences with in the group, but a general similarity with evident closer affinity to the 1951 Scandinavian strains than to any other. Strain A/Paris/1/53, is, however, more like the Liverpool subtype. Table 1. COMPARATIVE DATA FOR CASES OF SPECIFIED NOTIFIABLE DISEASES: UNITED STATES (Numbers after diseases are category numbers of the Sixth Revision of the International Lists, 1948) 36 (1) (?) 55,962 1,821 57,036 Sept. 1 Anthrax- ---062 1 Botulism --049.1 Brucellosis (undulant fever) -----044 26 46 Diphtheria-- -----055 52 82 190 Encephalitis, acute infectious---082 18 20 10 Hepatitis, infectious, and serum-- --092,1998.5 pt. 827 467 Ma Laria----110-117 - 17 Measles ---- .-085 7,050 17,146 | 10,009 Meningococcal infections. ---057 166 123 86 Poliomyelitis, acute -----080 145 133 112 Rabies in man- ------094 Rocky Mountain spotted fever----104A 1 Scarlet fever and streptococcal SOI throat --050,051 4,473 2,887 2,448 Smallpox--- ---084 Trichiniasis----- ---128 4 Tularemia------ -059 13 24 Typhoid fever--- -040 29 39 38 Typhus fever, endemic- --------101 Whooping cough ------056 739 1,205 1,675 (1) (?) 110,254 1,613 27,925 (1) (1) (?) 63,631 1,360 27,925 (4) ili 2,828 57 25,188 589 790 1,414 132 58,077 458 553 33,414 352 482 (?) 1 Aug. 1 24,718 (4) (1) (?) 1,905 24,718 (1) 1) in) 2,510 18 8,807 3 8 64 120 11 4,727 12 (?) 2,098 166 10,693 (?) 12 59 109 16 2,836 101 130 Apr. 1 Oct. 1 28,495 6,881 18,912 (?) Rabies in animals- INot computed. 2Deduction: New York, week'ended January 24, 10 cases. Addition: Iowa, week ended January 17, 5 cases. SOURCE AND NATURE OF DATA 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. Symbols.-1 dash [-]: no cases reported; asterisk [*] : disease stated not notifiable; parentheses, [1] : data not included in total; 3 dashes [---] : data not available. Table 2. CASES OF SPECIFIED DISEASES WITH COMPARATIVE DATA: UNITED STATES, EACH DIVISION AND STATE FOR WEEK ENDED JANUARY 31, 1953 2,860 22 461 1,376 1 237 467 858 316 1 7 1 301 96 170 216 210 196 63 135 297 68 4 111 26 649 274 9 18 8 272 92 1 19 20 24 15 1 3 5 4 3 1 1 1 41 41 48 76 13 11 42 22 10 48 10 2 45 3 26 Hinnesota-- SOUTH ATLANTIC- EAST SOUTH CENTRAL- WEST SOUTE CENTRAL- MOUNTAIN 1 509 100 311 161 48 89 298 42 79 3 3 17 20 2 2 4 1 42 146 19 8 7 194 200 310 902 8 15 151 127 3 48 47 24 8 6 2 82 27 14 846 1 3 ܕ ܝܙܝܕܝܢ ܚ ܚ ܝ ܙ ܙ 2 16 7 11 149 3 1 2 3 40 2 21 149 13 13 11 2 22 6 1 1 6 Montang---- PACIFIC------ 19 20 38 27 8 16 2 4 223 211 500 129 94 267 1 1 2 43 |(156) (-) (-) (-) (1) (-) (-) Delayed report November and December, 1951. |