An outbreak of meningitis associated with E . C . H . O virus

The association of E.C.H.O virus type 9 with aseptic meningitis accompanied by a rash is now well known (Tyrell, 1958; Sabin, Krumbiegel, and Wigand, 1958; Lyle, 1959). We should like to record a further outbreak of such an illness in which epistaxis was a prominent feature. Cases occurred during July and August, 1961, over a period of 32 days at a Royal Air Force station in western Germany. The station is a large one with a population of approximately 3,000 including both Service personnel and their families living in married quarters within the station boundary. Although the station is almost entirely self-contained, there is free mixing between the station population, Service personnel and their families at other stations, and the local civilians. There was a total of 44 cases, of which 36 (87 %) were in children; the remainder were in all but one instance in parents of affected children. The overall age distribution is shown in Figure 1. Fresh cases tended to appear at intervals of 48 hours (Fig. 2). The majority occurred in a geographically limited area of married quarters, and only three affected children lived outside the station; two attended the station school and the third was the 3-year-old sister of one of these. The local German public health authorities reported no similar illness in the civilian population though there was an epidemic of paralytic poliomyelitis at about the same time in the vicinity.