Evening star., 1940-12-23
Influenza E Epidemic Sweeping
II. s. Declared War Disease
Health Service Tests Blood Samples
From California to Determine Type
By THOMAS r. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r. HENRY.
The epidemic of influenza now
sweeping across the Southern
United States apparently is, like
the great pandemic of 1918, a war
disease"
This is the opinion of United
States Public Health Service spe-
cialists who have just returned
from California, where the highly
infectious malady first got foot
hold in the Continental United
States about three weeks ago.
The first California cases, says
DR.. John w. Oliphant of the Public
Health Service staff, were brought
in by sailors of the U. S. Navy en-
gagged in transporting troops be-
tween San Francisco and Hawaii
Once on the mainland the disease
spread like q forest fire. The last
week in November there were 1,490
reported cases, probably a small
proportion Of the actual number.
The next week there were nearly
1000. Since the attacks have been
mild, thousands probably were never
placed on record.
From California the epidemic shot
rapidly across the Southwest through
Texas and Oklahoma A smaller
outbreak in South Carolina may
have been due to the same epidemic
or an independent focus. Now, Pub
lie Health Service doctors say, it
seems to be turning northWard.
Type Sought in Tests.
DR.. Oliphant has brought back to
Washington scores of blood samples
from California victims. From these
he is making tests, none yet COM
pleted, to determine whether the
disease Is true influenza and, if so,
to what type it belongs. There have
been encouragingly few deaths re-
ported as yet, Public Health Service
officials say. For one thing there
has been mild weather over most of
the area covered by the outbreak
and local physicians have been on
the alert to isolate patients with
the first suspicious symptoms.
There would be little cause for
alarm, it is pointed out, were it not
for the extremely rapid spread. In
f1uenza, like various other virus dis
eases, grows more virulent as it
passes swiftly from person to per-
son. For the first time since 1913
there are military cantonments in its
path. These, with their large con-
centrations of men, many of whom
never have had an attack, may be
ideal breeding grounds.
Thus far the cases have shown
little tendency to develop into pneu-
monia. Very few persons ever have
died from influenza itself. 1t is a
relatively mild inflammation of the
bronchial Innings. 1t leaves the
victims very susceptible to fatal
forms of pneumonia. Those who re-
cover in the present epidemic COM
plain of great weakness for several
days.
Vaccine Developed.
A few weeks ago the development
of vaccine against influenza was
announced by the Rockefeller
Foundation. While this is not
actually Endorsed by the Public
Health Service, much confidence is
placed in it by individual members
of the staff as safeguard against
recurrence of 1918 proportions and
virulence. It is, however, purely a
vaccine, formed by a combination
of the killed viruses of influenza and
dog distemper. Preliminary tests
have shown that it protects an in
dividual against catching most types
OF influenza. It is of no use what
soever once the disease has started.
Obviously the vaccine could not
be tested in California, where the
disease was spreading so rapidly.
For several months, it was learned,
Rockefeller Foundation physicians
have been 'vaccinating test COM
munities-chief1y orphanages and
like institutions-through the South
ern States in the path which the
present epidemic seems to be fol-
lowinge Acid tests will come when
the malady breaks out in the neigh
borhood of these groups.
In August there was a serious in
fluenza outbreak in Cuba and Puerto
Rico. 1t was almost over when the
Rockefeller physicians arrived. It
was assumed, however, that if it
spread to the United States it would
first appear somewhere in the South
and the test communities were Sc
lected on a gambling chance. There
was then no idea of a great epi-
demic sweeping out of the West.
Great flu epidemics show q tend
ency to break out once "a about 70