Report on the outbreak of plague in the state of Queensland, 1903. / Department of Public Health, Brisbane.

  • Queensland.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report on the outbreak of plague in the state of Queensland, 1903. / Department of Public Health, Brisbane. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    12/28 (page 10)
    APPENDIX A. OITTBREAK OF BUBONIC PLAGUE IN BRISBANE DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1903. CuKiCAL Export. During this period nineteen eases were reported and came under observation; of these, nine wei*e fatal. Two of these lalter, however, were only discovered post-mortem. All the cases were confirmed bacteriologi- cally. In most, cultural and inoculation experiments were performed in. addition to microscopic examination. Cause of the Eeceudescence. The last case occurring in Brisbane during 1902 was on 4th August;, the last infected rat found during 1902 was on 27th August; the first! infected rat of 1903 was found on the 9th January, and the first case was. reported on 8th February. The questions therefore arise :— (1) Was infection latent in the soil in Brisbane dtiring the six months of quiescence ; or (2) Was it enzootic amongst rats, or possibly other animals, in a. chronic form, which was unnoticed ; or (3) Was plague entirely absent from Brisbane during those months,. and its recrudescence due to re-importation in December or • January? (It may be noted that rat-infection was present at Townsville at this time, and possibly in other Northern towns.) Taking our experience of past years and other facts into consideration, I am inclined to think that (2) is the probable explanation. Geneeal Featuees of the Outbeeak, The progress of the disease during the first six mouths of 1903 is shown by the following table, which may be compared with the years 1900, 1901, and 1902;— Month. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. January 1 Februarj' . . i 14 0 March 7 20 4 Aj.ril 3 7 28 G May 10 12 IS 4 June 10 3 July 14 3 August 4 1 i September 5 ... October 4 i November 3 December 3 i 5G 3(i 82 19 As in previous years the cases were essentially sporadic in character, and in no instance was there evidence of infection from one case to another, either directly or indirectly.