Influenza : $b An epidemiologic studyVaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
History
Influenza : $b An epidemiologic study
Vaughan, Warren T. (Warren Taylor)
Influenza
The fact that MacNeal, as we have previously recorded, believed that
there was influenza in France in 1917, must not be overlooked. Those
earlier cases were scattered and did not so far as we know occur in the
form of small epidemics. Even if these were true influenza it is
reasonable to assume that they were sporadic cases and were not
genetically associated with the epidemic spreading from America and
daily increasing in virulence, which we are now following. MacNeal
concludes that epidemic influenza in France originated from the endemic
foci existing there, and that the disease was probably carried from
Europe to the United States by shipping. The author’s opinion regarding
the first direction of spread is that the reverse condition was the
actual process. Zinsser likewise holds the latter view.
A most important observation made by MacNeal is that French physicians
practicing among the civilian population were perfectly familiar with
the disease when it appeared at Chaumont in April, 1918, that they
designated it as La Grippe, and stated that it had been extensively
prevalent in the civilian population of Chaumont from March 15th to May
15th, 1918. These observations of influenza occurring in France at
almost the same date as the first outbreaks in the United States is a
matter of great interest. It has also been stated by McNalty and by
Carnwath, who quotes Kabeshima and Lee, that the disease was prevalent
in epidemic form in China and Japan in March, 1918. We have here three
foci from which the disease may have primarily originated. There are two
possibilities; first, that it originated in all three foci (and perhaps
others), and spread to all parts of the world from each; second, that
the virus, distributed throughout the world, acquired high virulence in
all three localities, causing small epidemic outbreaks, but that the
virus from only one of these places finally became so exalted as to
cause the pandemic. Did the _pandemic_ disease originate simultaneously
in France, in China and in the United States? One fact seems certain,
that the influenza which attacked our troops in Europe was influenza
imported from the United States. We have seen that it first appeared in
the American Expeditionary forces at the base ports. Alberto Lutraria,
Health Commissioner of Italy, has reported that the disease was brought
to that country from America. A point of significance is the fact that
during March and April there was an unusually large troop movement from
the United States to the American Expeditionary Forces.
MacNeal says: “The suggestion that the epidemic was introduced from
America is supported by the fact that it appeared at a time when large
numbers of Americans were arriving in Europe, which is indeed an
outstanding feature correlated in time with the onset of the epidemic.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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