REVIEW
17
now 44 government general clinics and more are being planned. In fact, the progress that has been achieved in community health can be measured by the simplest statistics. In spite of the density of the population there has been no major epidemic in the last decade. There was an outbreak of cholera in 1961 which caused 15 deaths, but since that date there have been only 300 cases of this disease, and only nine were fatal. The prevalence of tuberculosis, though reduced by half over the past 10 years, still remains high and it is estimated that about 0.8 per cent of the population is still suffering from active pulmonary tuberculosis requiring treatment.
Although the general health of the Colony has therefore improved steadily, addiction to narcotics continues to be a serious problem. There is little hard evidence that it has affected the younger genera- tion to the same dire extent, but it is certainly on the increase; nor is there yet widespread use in Hong Kong of the fashionably 'popular' drugs marijuana or LSD, despite the illicit sale of certain proprietary medications masked by falsely glamorous names. There is, however, considerable and disturbing addiction to heroin, particularly among the labouring classes, and the attempts that have been made to con- trol the import and manufacture of narcotics have not been successful. The volume of seizures, both of raw opium and heroin has steadily increased. During the year a total of 13,651 pounds of narcotics was detected and seized and it is clear that very large quantities are still coming into the Colony undetected.
There are two centres for the treatment of drug addicts: Tai Lam, run by the Prisons Department, which provides a compulsory pro- gramme for people found guilty of criminal offences but whose underlying problem is drug addiction, and a voluntary centre estab- lished by the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Addicts on the small island of Shek Kwu Chau. These centres have been successful in that those who have completed the course of treatment are at the time cured of their addiction with, in most cases, a marked improvement in general health as well. But the two centres together can deal with no more than 1,100 patients at a time. The total num- ber of addicts has been estimated at around 80,000. An additional centre for the treatment of criminal addicts is to be opened in 1972 at Tong Fuk. It would be out of place in this general review to rehearse the many difficulties encountered in dealing with these problems, or the many conflicting opinions and criticisms offered about them. The Government is fully aware of its responsibility in this field and stronger and more comprehensive measures are being