THE accompanying table summarizes the incidence of nine important communicable diseases, based on weekly telegraphic reports from State health departments. The reports from each State for each week are published in PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTS under the section "Incidence of Disease." [See Table in Source Pdf].
Diseases Above Median Incidence
Measles—The number of cases of measles rose from 102,680 during the preceding 4 weeks to 114,983 during the 4 weeks ended May 22. The incidence was 3.4 times the number of cases reported for the corresponding period in 1947, which was, however, a comparatively low measles year, but it was only about 10 percent above the 1943-47 median. In the New England and East South Central sections the incidence was below the normal expectancy and in the South Atlantic section the number of cases was only slightly higher than the median for the preceding 5 years, but in the other 6 sections the increases over the median expectancy ranged from 1.1 times the median in the West North Central section to 3.4 times the median in the West South Central section.
Poliomyelitis.— The number of cases of poliomyelitis rose from 126 during the preceding 4-week period to 440 during the current 4 weeks. The incidence was 3.5 times that reported for these weeks in 1947, which number (126 cases) also represents the 1943-47 median. An increase of this disease is expected at this season of the year, but the current number of cases represents a larger increase at this time than has normally occurred in preceding years. While each section of the country except New England contributed to the relatively high incidence, the greatest excesses over the 5-year medians were reported from the West North Central and West South Central sections. Of the total cases Texas reported 179, California 62, South Carolina 46, New Jersey 16, Iowa 14, Florida 12, Alabama 11, and Illinois, South Dakota, and Louisiana 10 each; 85 percent of the reported cases occurred in those 10 states which represent every section of the country except the New England and Mountain sections. Since the beginning of the year there have been 947 cases of poliomyelitis reported as compared with 894 and 810 for the corresponding period in 1947 and 1946, respectively.
