764
Plaque. This disease was again epidemic during the year. In all 1,651 cases of plague were notified with 1,562 deaths. The following Table gives the number of cases reported in each month of the years 1900 and 1901:
1900.
1901.
January, February,
8
7
8
14
March,
5
54
April,
94
160
May,.
.326
701
June,
..325
551
July,
.209
109
August,
80
27
September,
16
24
October,
12
1
November,
2
1
December,
2
1,087
1,651
This is the fourth year in succession that this disease has been epidemic in the Colony, more Europeans were attacked last year than is generally the case, the number being 30, although in 1898, 26 were attacked.
Most of them were living on the Queen's Road level and were hence more evident to the European Community.
Many of these cases were associated with the finding of rats in the dwellings of those attacked, but whether these rats were themselves the subject of plague was not ascertained. During the first six months of 1901, 48,000 rats were destroyed.
As is usually the case, a large number of the Chinese were dead bodies found lying in the streets or boats in the harbour, in 1902, 308 such cases occurred, these, to a great extent, account for the annual recurrence of this disease, as of necessity the houses from which they come are not disinfected. As long as this deposition of dead bodies in the streets occurs so long will plague continue in our midst.
To try to some extent to prevent the yearly onset of the disease, in 1902 in the winter months a systematic cleansing and disinfection of every Chinese house in the City was instituted.
This was commenced in November and continued during the following four months, the magnitude of the operations undertaken will be understood when I state that over 8,000 Chinese houses were thus dealt with in Hongkong, and in addition to this the Chinese houses in Kowloon were cleansed and disinfected.
Enteric Fever-There were 75 cases as compared with 85 in the previous year.
More Europeans were, however, attacked by the disease than in the previous year, the number being 47 as compared with 34 in 1900.
Twenty-two of these cases were however imported.
Malarial Fevers.-Extensive operations have been undertaken during the year in the way of remo- val of undergrowth, training of nullahs and draining of stagnant pools of water with the object of diminishing the number of mosquitoes.
As far as we can judge by statistics these appear to have been successful, the total number of deaths amongst the Chinese from malarial fever being returned as 541 in 1901 as compared with 887
in 1900.
Beri-beri.-There were 377 deaths from beri-beri as compared with 361 in 1890.
The following Table gives the number of cases of infectious diseases notified during the year 1901 :-
Bubonic Fever,
Small-pox,
Enteric Fever,.
Diphtheria,
l'uerperal Fever,........
Scarlet Fever,................
Cholera,
Disease.
:
15
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:
January,
February.
7
1
ลง
2
March.
April.
May.
June.
8 July.
ག་
14
54 160 701 551 109
August.
September
27 24
42 28
6
4
1
111
♡
12
10
*
ON
:
2
-
:
T
:
10:
October.
:
:
-
November
December.
1,847
17
Total.
1,651
91
75
6
7