HEALTH
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factories. All new applications for licences for food premises, laundries, offensive trades, commercial bathhouses, funeral parlours and swimming pools are dealt with by a Central Licensing Unit in order to eliminate delay. Hygiene inspection of domestic premises is carried out at intervals depending on the type of premises. The health staff of the Urban Services Department work in close liaison with the Medical and Health Department in the investigation and control of infectious diseases and food poisoning. Health staff are also responsible for investigating complaints of sanitary nuisances from the public and for the prevention of fly and mosquito breeding. Attention is being paid to the need for more stringent hygienic control over the increasing number of vending machines for the sale of food and drinks in the Colony. A great variety of frozen meat and meat products, including poultry, is imported into Hong Kong and special food-inspection staff is engaged in the inspection of these products and other imported foods and in the health certification of foods for export.
A pest control section carries out measures for the control of rats, mice, cockroaches, ants, fleas, bed-bugs, biting-midges and, in the New Territories, flies and mosquitoes. The section is also engaged in work to prevent the breeding of malarial mosquitoes in Hong Kong Island, the built-up areas of Kowloon and New Kowloon and, in the New Territories, Kwai Chung, Rennie's Mill village and Cheung Chau Island.
The health education section continued to organize publicity campaigns on various health topics and to run food hygiene training courses for food handlers. Over' 684 food handlers from restaurants, cooked food stalls and government canteens were trained during the year. Cleanliness courses for caretakers in multi-storey buildings continued to be held.
To assist in the dissemination of health knowledge and the pro- motion of health education among the younger generation, school health talks are given by staff of this section to government primary schools in Hong Kong. School health quizzes and health education oratorical and song contests are held each year.
The supervision of hawkers, markets and slaughterhouses has an important bearing on public health and the Urban Services Department employs a large staff on these duties. There are 65