[The manifestations of a scarlatina epidemic process in a large city and their interpretation]

The average morbidity level in scarlet fever for the period of 1972-1990 in Moscow was 230.9 cases per 100,000 of the population and the annual economic damage was 2-2.5 million rubles. The highest morbidity rate values were registered among children attending children's institutions, and in this group among children aged 3-6 years. Cohort and disperse analysis revealed that age-dependent fluctuations of morbidity rate had a regular character and significantly differed. An increase in scarlet fever morbidity was registered simultaneously with elevated levels of morbidity in tonsillitis and acute respiratory diseases and occurred several weeks after a rise in tonsillitis morbidity. Contamination with group A streptococci was higher among "organized" children of preschool age than among other groups of the population. T serovars 4/28, 8/29/Imp.19, 3/13/B3254 and 1, constituting 44% of all isolated Streptococcus pyogenes strains, and OF type 2 (44%) and 22 (20%) occurred most frequently. Among the strains isolated from patients T-4 and OF-2 types prevailed.