SOCIAL SERVICES
compared with 674 cases and 77 deaths in the previous year. The majority of notified cases were treated in hospital. No specific preventive measures were taken against this infection.
Poliomyelitis. Cases, occurring sporadically throughout the year, numbered 22. They were all Chinese and appeared to be unconnected. Deaths numbered 3. The corresponding figures in 1952, were 19 and 4.
Tuberculosis. This is the Colony's most common com- municable disease and its major public health problem. During 1953, notifications numbered 11,900 and this disease accounted for 2,939 deaths, which constituted 16.06% of deaths from all causes. The table below sets forth tuberculosis cases and deaths since the war.
Year
Cases
Deaths
Case fatality rate
1946
2,801
1,818
64.9%
1947
4,855
1,863
38.4%
1948
6,279
1,961
31.4%
1949
7,510
2,611
34.9%
1950
9,067
3,263
35 %
1951
13,886
4,190
30.2%
1952
14,821
3,573
24.1%
1953
11,900
2,939
24.7%
The large number of notified cases suggests inadequacy of the resources and scope of the anti-tuberculosis service, and little positive improvement of the hygienic environment of the urban population. Nevertheless, strenuous efforts are being made to meet the problem although a solution is still far off. Mass B.C.G. vaccination was planned but it soon became evident that this was unprofitable as it was found that, by the age of 14 years, more than 95% of the population had incurred infection as evidenced by positive tuberculin tests. The B.C.G.
95