Influenza : $b An epidemiologic studyVaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
History
Influenza : $b An epidemiologic study
Vaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
Influenza
The two-peak cities with an interval around thirteen
were probably not destined, according to Pearl, to have another
repetition, but those with an interval of seven were presumably destined
to have a second interval, the thirteen-week interval, which for some
reason did not occur.
This raises the question of periodicity, a subject which we will discuss
at a more appropriate place.
This experience of recrudescences was similar in the American
Expeditionary Forces. The first outbreak lasted through April and May
and into June. The second came in September and October. The spring
epidemic had been characterized by mildness and was known as three-day
fever, but in the autumn, complications of the respiratory tract
predominated in the symptom complex. By August 18th a severe epidemic
had occurred in an artillery camp at La Valdahon in the Jura Mountains,
near Bezançon. Early in September a larger epidemic occurred in an
artillery camp near Bordeaux. The epidemic in our troops in France, as
well as in the French civil and military population, reached its height
during October. The Service of Supply was more heavily affected than
were the troops situated on the battle front. The morbidity rate
appeared to have been almost the same as that in the United States. That
it was not quite as high has been shown by Howard and Love. Longcope
states that it prevailed particularly among the troops at the base ports
where during a part of the epidemic transports laden with infected
troops were being landed; in those organizations which contained the
largest number of replacement troops; and in organizations being moved
on troop trains, where the men were necessarily closely crowded.
The second outbreak subsided during the early part of November. A third
occurred in January and February, very much as it had done in the United
States. In the interval between the second and third recurrences there
was no time at which the entire Expeditionary Forces were free from the
disease. The author had occasion to study an outbreak occurring early in
December in the 26th Division stationed in rest area at Montigny-le-Roi.
In this outbreak the respiratory complications predominated, as in
October, and the mortality was comparatively high. We had had occasion
to study the same disease at Camp Sevier, South Carolina in September
and early October, 1918, and in two different localities in France in
December, 1918, and February, 1919, and found that the clinical
characteristics were identical on both continents.
The more severe recurrence in England, in October, has been carefully
studied. In fact this recurrence was almost universal in all countries.
The autumn epidemic has been reported as being at its height in October,
1918, in such widely separated localities as the United States, England,
France, Greece, Brazil, India, Japan and Korea.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account