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As the result of epidemiological survey of diphtherial infection, carried out in conformity with the unified methodological recommendations in 21 regions of the RSFSR during 1980-1981, the expediency of such experiment was established. Immunity to diphtheria in children aged up to 14 years was high: children with negative Schick tests constituted 96.9-99.1%. No biological changes in Corynebacterium diphtheriae occurred during the term of observation. Toxigenic C. diphtheriae showed a high level of pathogenicity. The epidemiological survey contributed to a more thorough detection of diphtheria patients and carriers releasing toxigenic C. diphtheriae. The quality of clinical bacteriological diagnosis improved. In rare cases angina with the concomitant carriership of toxigenic C. diphtheriae could be diagnosed with the indispensable serological examination of the patients by Jensen's method.

The authors present characteristics of meningococcus infection epidemic process in case of sporadic cases and under epidemic conditions (1965--1976). A scheme of epidemiological analysis suggested by the authors permitted to differentiate and to record the incidence of various clinical forms of meningococcus infection, to present data on the age, seasonal characteristics, focality, etc. Comparison of intensive morbidity indices for 10 years, both at the individual administration territories and in the Republic as a whole demonstrated morbidity level of 1.5--2.0 to be one of prognostic signs of the beginning epidemic. The main features differentiating the sporadic and epidemic morbidity periods were revealed. The presence of group diseases, a greater percentage of children among those who fell ill, and marked signs of seasonality and territorial difference characterized the period of rise caused by meningococcus of serological group A.

The work defines the characteristic epidemiological features of diphtheria in the RSFSR at the present moment when a high level of antitoxic immunity is generally determined in children. With the diphtheria morbidity level having, on the whole, a sporadic character in the RSFSR, the intensification of the epidemic process has been found to occur in some regions. Changes in the ratio of morbidity rates among the urban and rural population are observed, the morbidity rate among the latter have the tendency towards increase. At present the characteristic feature of diphtheria is the prevalence of adults in the general morbidity structure. An important fact is a permanently high level of toxigenicity in Corynebacterium diphtheriae. As before, autumn is the season of the highest morbidity level.