THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF MEASLES IN

Kjeldsen. The epidemiology and natural history of measles in Denmark. Am J Epidemiol 100: 136-149, 1974.—From the national (central) population regis-ter for Denmark, a random sample of all children aged 0-14 years was drawn. A questionnaire was sent for each sampled child (a total of 6804 individuals); 6333 (93%) replied. According to the given information, 6126 children could be classified according to their measles (rubeola, morbilli) history; 207 could not be classified and were excluded from the analysis. Among the 6126 chil-dren, 612 contracted measles in 1972. The incidence among susceptible children (who had not previously had measles) increased from 100 per 1000 among the youngest to a peak 500 per 1000 among the 6-year-olds; there-after the rate declined. The incidence was similar in urban areas and rural districts and among girls and boys up to 6 years of age. Girls older than 6 years had higher rates. The clinical course was explored through an interview by a specially trained public health nurse. Four hundred children who had measles in 1972 were selected; all but 13 were interviewed. The diagnosi