Burkitt's Tumour in the West Nile District of Uganda 1961–5

Abstract

By studying the distribution in space and in time of all microscopically proved and suspected cases of African malignant lymphoma (Burkitt's tumour) occurring in the West Nile District of Uganda during the five years 1961-5 it has been possible to show that the disease possesses the epidemic characteristic of “drift”—patients whose dates of onset were close together tended to live closer together than could be expected on the basis of chance alone. If this phenomenon can be substantiated by the data from other districts this will provide very strong further evidence for the existence of an infective agent for the disease. Attention is also drawn to the possible existence. © 1967, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.