STUDIES ON POLIOMYELITIS 1960-1961, IN FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN

Abstract

Poliomyelitis is probably a very ancient disease, it has high transmissibility from any infectivity. The epidemiological studies on poliomyelitis in Japan up to 1947 have been reviewed by Paul, since 1947 there are many epidemiologic studies of poliomyelitis in Japan. Poliomyelitis became epidemic in the northern part of Fukuoka prefecture in the winter of 1960. During the next summer, the period from June to August of 1961, poliomyelitis was prevalent chiefly in Fukuoka prefecture. It was revealed that this was an epidemic of poliovirus type I. The present paper reports the results of our study on those epidemics. The study is divided into the following parts : (1). Laboratory data from paralytic cases. (2). Distribution of cases according to age, sex, geography and season. (3). Relationship between the pathogenicity of poliovirus and the in vitro marker of poliovirus. (4). Relationship between the epidemic in the northern part of Fukuoka prefecture in the winter of 1960 and the epidemic in Fukuoka, Saga and Yamaguchi prefectures in the summer of 1961.