295
The great increase of cases which in epidemic years has always occurred in the spring proves that in these years a fresh introduction of plague bacilli occurs, information was obtained of the presence of sporadic cases in the district round Canton at the commencement of the year, an outbreak also occurred at Wuchow at the beginning of March and news was obtained of the presence of cases at Pakhoi on the 16th of March, it also appears that the great influx of Chinese at the Annual Race Meeting, which is always held towards the end of February, may be one means whereby these germs are introduced afresh into this Colony.
This year vigorous steps have been taken to prevent this influx of Chinese, a different system has also been established to exterminate the rats.
The Chinese are paid 2 cents a head for each rat, the Sanitary Inspectors of the various Health Districts collecting them on their morning rounds, by this means 300 rats a week are now being destroyed.
It will be seen that the disease did not reach its maximum until June, quite a month later than was the case in the previous year; it is worthy of note that the mean monthly temperature was considerably less in the first six months of the year than in 1898 as the following figures will show :-
Mean Monthly Temperature.
January, February, March. April, May, June,
1898.
1899.
.60.1
59.0
62.7
59.6
..64.3
64.9
.69.2
69.9
..78.4 .81.6
77.6
79.7
A considerable diminution of the number of cases followed the month of the maximum mean temperature, viz.. July.
This is the first time that the disease has been epidemic in two successive years. Fortunately very few Europeans were attacked this year.
One of the islands that were annexed this year, viz., Cheung Chau suffered from an outbreak in the months of April and May, an epidemic of what appears to have been swine-fever prevailed amongst the pigs on this Island prior to the attack in mao.
Rinderpest this year was very prevalent amongst the cattle in the Colony.
Early in March it broke out in a dairy at Wanchai and rapidly spread to a dairy at Causeway Bay.
Kowloon was infected with this disease towards the end of April, in May it occurred in a large dairy at Wongneichung and in September there were a few cases at the Pokfulum Dairy Farm.
1898.
Enteric fever.-There were 59 cases reported during the year, an increase of 7 as compared with
Cholera.--For the third year in succession we were practically free from this class of disease, undoubtedly the habit of the Chinese in drinking their water boiled prevents the spread of this disease should it be introduced.
Malarial fevers and Beri-beri were much more prevalent than in the previous year.
Beri-beri is very common amongst the Chinese, it does not, however, become epidemic, it is rarely that more than one case occurs in the same house, so that the disease as it now exists is not very infectious
In order to obtain more information concerning this disease it would, I think, be advisable to include it amongst the list of notifiable diseases.
The following table gives the number of cases of infectious diseases notified during the year:
Diseases.
Bubonic Fever,
Small-pox,
Enteric Fever,...................
Diphtheria,
Puerperal Fever,
Scarlet Fever,
C
January,
14
2
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
July.
Angust.
September.
October.
November.
December.
Total.
25 101 421 514 263
86
57
4
1
11
1,486
17
10
5
1
:
:
-
:
69
الله
الله
6
4
00
39
ง
2
:
:
:
:
:
9
I
2
12
2
Total,.
1,637