HEALTH
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Phase I in World Health Organisation collaborative study of cytomegalo-virus in- fection was completed and revealed a high frequency (94 per cent) of cytomegalo-virus antibody in adults of 20–30 years in Hong Kong. Phase II and III of this study were in progress in 1974. In connection with influenza surveillance in Hong Kong a survey of local pigs showed presence of antibodies to human influenza virus A/Hong Kong/1/68 (17.3 per cent); to the current virus strain A/Port Chalmers/1/73 (26.8 per cent) and to the swine influenza virus (33.6 per cent).
In histopathology, current interest is directed toward accurate histopathological typing of bone tumours and inflammatory lesions of bones and joints.
Environmental Hygiene
The Urban Services Department emerged from a major reorganisation on a regional basis far better equipped to carry out its wide-ranging tasks under environ- mental hygiene and in many other fields. Among other things the department is responsible for street cleansing, and disposing of refuse and nightsoil, the management of public conveniences and bathhouses, and the disposal of the dead.
The department, as the executive or working arm of the Urban Council, does this work in the urban areas on behalf of the council. In the New Territories, it does iden- tical tasks under the guidance of the Director of Urban Services.
The magnitude of the task is shown by the fact that 9,000 men and women are employed, using 373 specially made vehicles, among them the latest types of cleansing and rubbish collection vehicles recently imported from Australia.
The daily collection of rubbish totals 3,400 tons. About 1,200 tons is burnt daily in the incinerators at Kennedy Town (Hong Kong Island) and Lai Chi Kok (Kowloon). The rest goes to dumps at Gin Drinkers Bay, Ngau Tam Mei and Shuen Wan in the New Territories. Another dump, at Chau Tau, was closed during the year.
A free overnight collection service for nightsoil continued from remaining un- sewered tenements and the like. More than 5.5 million gallons collected during the year was taken to Western (Hong Kong Island) or Lai Chi Kok (Kowloon) to be loaded into barges and dumped in deep water outside the harbour limits, where the current takes it out to sea.
The Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign broke new ground with a 'clean our beaches' drive as well as the more customary cleansing of districts. An experiment was held to see if it were practicable to collect sea-borne rubbish from beaches, with a small fleet of sampans and a cargo-boat 'mother ship'. The drive, held in the main swimming season from June to the end of August, involved publicity, the use of resources of various government departments, and the active participation of students and volunteers recruited through the Education Department, City District Offices and the New Territories Administration. The drive succeeded in carrying the message to the beach-going public and, during this summer, all 37 gazetted beaches (12 on Hong Kong Island and the remainder in the New Territories) were kept noticeably cleaner than in previous years.