Home Christopher
J. Rutty, "The Middle-Class Plague: Epidemic Polio
and the Canadian State, 1936-37," Canadian Bulletin of Medical History
13 (1996): 277-314
Table 1
Poliomyelitis Case Rates per
100,000 Population
Canada and by Province, 1927-1962
(All Cases, 1927-1956; Paralytic
Cases Only, 1957-1962 *)
Sources: Canadian Journal of Public
Health , 45 (June 1954): 225-35 (1927-30 figures); Canada, Dominion
Bureau of Statistics,
Poliomyelitis Trends, 1956 through 1960
(Ottawa:1957-1961) (1931-60 figures); Annual Reports of Notifiable Diseases,
1961-62 (Ottawa: 1961-63).
Year
CAN
BC
AL
SA
MA
ON
QU
NB
NS
PEI
NF
1927
6.3
29.2
48.8
1.0
0.9
1.6
0.4
4.0
5.0
0
1928
8.0
15.9
13.7
3.3
65.4
2.6
1.4
1.2
1.9
0
1929
7.7
6.5
4.5
6.6
8.1
14.8
3.2
1.2
0.6
4.5
1930
10.1
5.0
20.3
7.9
6.5
19.8
1.1
0.2
5.4
4.5
1931
12.9
6.1
3.1
0.7
2.1
4.7
37.5
1.5
2.5
0
1932
9.1
0.7
4.7
0.7
1.0
5.0
24.2
3.1
0.8
2.2
1933
2.4
0.7
4.1
3.0
1.0
1.5
4.2
1.2
0.4
0
1934
4.8
4.4
1.5
1.5
1.4
9.2
3.8
0.7
1.9
1.1
1935
3.4
2.7
19.9
2.3
3.4
3.0
1.0
0.7
0.4
1.1
1936
8.9
3.6
2.1
9.6
73.8
5.8
3.9
0.7
0
0
1937
35.4
3.4
21.5
54.5
37.3
70.0
5.5
37.5
7.8
1.1
1938
5.2
5.5
13.3
3.2
22.2
4.4
1.7
3.8
0.9
0
1939
3.2
0.1
3.1
1.7
3.6
5.8
1.8
0.4
3.6
0
1940
1.7
0.6
0.3
1.0
2.5
2.4
2.0
0.2
0.4
0
1941
16.4
7.1
20.9
6.2
132.7
3.8
1.4
91.6
3.3
0
1942
5.9
5.4
1.0
1.6
9.9
2.4
4.5
29.1
27.6
3.3
1943
2.8
0.9
2.5
4.4
5.3
2.1
3.3
3.9
1.5
3.3
1944
6.1
2.0
12.0
2.0
13.6
8.5
1.3
18.4
3.3
1.1
1945
3.2
5.3
1.7
2.4
3.3
4.6
1.6
1.5
4.2
0
1946
20.6
2.1
8.5
4.4
6.6
12.7
44.4
19.7
8.1
85.1
1947
18.3
29.9
9.9
33.1
79.4
19.1
3.9
4.1
11.5
2.1
1948
9.1
11.6
42.0
10.0
19.0
8.7
1.2
2.0
4.6
1.1
1949
18.3
20.2
14.6
13.3
15.7
26.0
15.1
7.9
13.5
0
5.8
1950
6.7
6.4
15.1
14.4
2.9
8.4
1.9
2.9
2.7
69.8
0.9
1951
18.4
8.0
6.3
11.1
7.1
37.0
6.8
9.9
33.6
23.4
1.4
1952
32.9
49.6
76.3
142.9
105.1
14.7
3.0
81.2
8.7
57.0
1.1
1953
59.9
63.1
145.5
139.6
286.4
42.7
11.4
16.5
4.7
10.9
60.8
1954
15.7
16.3
49.5
22.6
13.9
4.9
17.9
11.3
20.4
82.2
5.6
1955
6.5
16.7
19.7
8.2
3.9
3.2
2.7
7.1
16.8
11.0
3.7
1956
3.7
6.0
6.8
2.4
2.6
3.6
3.3
4.3
2.9
4.0
1.0
1957
1.1
1.8
3.1
2.3
0.8
0.9
0.6
0.9
0.1
0
0.2
1958
1.5
0.8
1.8
0.1
12.3
0.4
1.5
0.8
0
0
0.9
1959
10.7
8.4
6.7
5.1
2.9
3.4
23.2
10.7
1.3
6.9
31.5
1960
5.1
10.3
15.6
6.0
1.4
0.6
5.6
15.6
1.2
1.0
10.7
1961
1.0
0.4
2.0
0.8
0
0.4
2.2
0.2
0.1
0
2.0
1962
0.5
0.1
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.3
1.0
0.2
0.1
0
0
©2000 Christopher J. Rutty, Ph.D.