REINHARD 



disaster would be caused by extension of the Anchorage epidemic 

 into the native villages of Alaska. However, only one satellite epi- 

 demic occurred; the unusual monotypic (Type 3) epidemic on St. 

 Paul Island (Eklund, 1956), Sporadic cases due to various polio- 

 virus types occurred in various native vallages, indicating that the 

 polioviruses were active in those areas. But other than the one 

 cited, no recognized epidemics of poliomyelitis occurred in native 

 villages. This intriguing fact led to a series of statistical (Reinhard 

 and Gibson, 1960) and sero- epidemiological (Reinhard and Gerloff, 

 1960; Reinhard, Gerloff, and Philip, 1960) studies to determine the 

 immunological status of Alaskan natives with reference to polio- 

 myelitis. The data are summarized by a table and two graphs from 

 a publication currently in press. 



Table 1 shows clearly that between 19 50 and 19 54, Alaskan natives 

 experienced a much lower morbidity rate for poliomyelitis than non- 

 native Alaskans, The disparity was especially great in comparable 

 groups under 15 years of age. 



Morbidity Rate per 100,000 per annum 



55 years and over 



Table I. Comparative poliomyelitis morbidity in Alaskan natives ami non- natives, 

 by five-year age groups, based on reports to the Alaska Department of Health, 1950 

 to 1954. *Ad justed to standard age group proportion. 



Figure 1 shows graphically the prevalence of antibodies against 

 the three types of poliovirus in more than 700 native Alaskan males 

 representing 47 villages in 11 geographic localities. The overall 

 prevalences of antibodies against polioviruses were: Type 1,87 per 



52 



