Naval History and Heritage Command

Surgeon General of the Navy William C. Braisted to Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels

JRP – LMT          

November 5, 1918.

Weekly statement of the Surgeon General to the Secretary of the Navy concerning health conditions in the Navy.

     New cases of influenza reported from all naval districts for the week ended November 2nd amounted to 1891, as compared with 2991 for the previous week.

     The report for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for the week ended November 2nd has not yet been received. For the week ended October 26th there were reported 150 cases, as against 720 for the previous week. From the Pacific Fleet 4 cases only have been reported during the week.

     Seventy three deaths due to influenza were reported during the week,as compared with 207 for the previous week.

     The epidemic is over in all naval districts except the third, sixth and twelfth,1 and from these cases are being reported in much smaller numbers.

     The incidence of other communicable diseases continues low. Four cases of cerebro-spinal fever, 7 of diphtheria, 10 of malaria, 24 of measles, 10 of scarlet fever, and none of typhoid fever or smallpox were reported for the force ashore with a complement of 250,831.

W. C. Braisted