Epidemiological studies of plague in India. 1. The present position.

Plague is apparently receding from India, but whether this recession heralds its final disappearance from the subcontinent or is merely a phase in its secular trend or is perhaps due to the effect of control measures is a matter for consideration. On the correct assessment of the present position will depend the nature of the steps to be taken now or in the future. Among the factors considered in this assessment are the possible existence of endemic plague foci in India, the clinical forms of the disease encountered, the relative frequency and epidemiology of urban and rural plague, seasonal variations in prevalence, and the likelihood of resistance of fleas to insecticides.