View report page

INFLUENZA
In early June family doctors were alerted regarding the possible
spread to Europe of the influenza epidemic, prevalent in Asia, and
below is a copy of the information sent to them:—
"Extensive outbreaks of influenza have occurred recently in
several countries of the Far East. Brief reports of these have
been published in the medical press. Cases were first observed, in
mid April, at Hong Kong and at Singapore where large numbers
of persons have been affected. Towards the end of April an
outbreak, began in Taiwan (Formosa) and it has been estimated
that more than 100,000 cases occurred there in the course of
two or three weeks. During the first half of May another large
outbreak developed in Manila, in the Philippine Islands, and
subsequent outbreaks have been reported from Japan, India,
Sarawak, North Borneo, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Outbreaks e been also reported among persons travelling by
sea or air from the affected regions.
Most of he cases have been described as clinically mild. A
report from Singapore refers to severe headache, generalised
pains and fever (101°—103° F.), lasting two or three days and
followed by about four days disability. There have been a number
of deaths but the fatality rate has been low. The outbreaks
have been explosive in character, but the epidemic wave has
passed quickly.
Virus strains from the Singapore outbreak have been
received at the World Influenza Centre, London, where they are
being intensively studied. Preliminary investigations have shown
that they belong to the Influenza A group, but are markedly
different from, trains isolated during past influenza outbreaks.
The present strains are not neutralised by any antiserum
prepared from previous strains and it is considered that the
antigenic variation is the largest that has taken place since the
appearance of the A-prime variant in 1946.
It is unlikely that the vaccines, which have been prepared
again past influenza strains, will protect against infection by
the new variant and the possibilities of preparing a vaccine
against the recently isolated strains are being actively explored.
However favourably this work might proceed there would be an
inevitable delay before such a vaccine could be produced in
I quantity.
Page 19