Influenza : $b An epidemiologic studyVaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
History
Influenza : $b An epidemiologic study
Vaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
Influenza
Dunlop found that Glasgow had a mild epidemic in the month of May, 1918,
in which the death rate rose from 14.1 to 20.1. There is no record of
any similar outbreak in Edinburgh. In the July epidemic the Glasgow
death rate rose from 11.7 to 15.9, while the Edinburgh death rate went
from 11.3 to 18.0, a higher increase. In the October-November epidemic
the Glasgow rate rose from 11.0 to 38.4, while the Edinburgh rate went
from 10.8 to 46.2. In the February-March epidemic the Glasgow rate rose
from 14.9 to 48.3, and the Edinburgh rate from 18.9 to 52.1 In the July
and October epidemics Edinburgh showed a greater increase in death rate,
while in February, 1919, the increase in the two cities was the same.
However, in this case probably other factors play a part. Also, we must
remember that here we are dealing with death rates, not with incidence
rates.
The Inspector General of Health, in Spain, reported in January, 1918,
that those cities which had the disease in May, 1918, suffered lightly
in the autumn of that year, while others of the large cities which had
been spared in the first invasion suffered most in the second.
Maillard and Brune report an epidemic of influenza in an epileptic
colony. There were 32 deaths among the 63 cases. None of the inmates of
the hospital who had influenza during the June epidemic contracted it
anew during the October wave.
Ovazza records that although a number of persons contracted the
influenza anew on its return in the fall after having had it in the
spring, yet the return cases were strikingly mild, and always free from
complications.
Barthélemy describes the successive waves of epidemic influenza at
Bizerte. He found that the doctors and nurses who had been through the
first epidemic did not develop influenza in the second one a few months
later, even though they came in the closest contact with the patients.
Hamilton and Leonard have studied two successive outbreaks due to lapses
in a rigid quarantine in an institution of 180 girls between 12 and 18
years of age. The girls were distributed through six cottages. In the
first epidemic November, 1918, 76 girls contracted the disease, at which
time it was entirely limited to the occupants of cottages 2, 3, and 4.
The second outbreak occurred in January, 1919, when 82 took ill. Only
five of these were located in cottages 2 and 4, the remainder being in
1, 5 and 6. No cases occurred in cottage 3 during the second spread.
Both epidemics lasted a little under two weeks. Those who had suffered
in the first spread appeared to be immune to the second. There were no
recurrences. The second epidemic was much milder in character. Twelve
per cent. of the total remained well throughout both epidemics.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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