Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE): a report of 16 cases.

Sixteen cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) were diagnosed at the Royal Children's and Mater Misericordiae Children's Hospitals in Brisbane from September 1974 to June 1983. Although the incidence of the disease with regard to age at onset, previous exposure to measles virus, and longevity was similar to that reported in the United States and Europe, the frequency of the illness was substantially higher in the present study. The high frequency of the disease in Queensland appears to reflect a relatively low level of immunity to measles virus in the population at risk.