225
The following table gives the number of cases of, infectious diseases notified
during the year 1903 :-
January,
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
July.
August.
September.
October.
November.
December.
TOTAL
115 272 515 343
Plague,
29
Small-pos,
5
14 10
Enteric Fever,
6 5
Diphtheria,
Puerperal Fever,
Scarlet Fever,.
Cholera,
3
19
2
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82
OL
1,415
60
1
£1
9
10
1,553
There was a decided diminution in the number of cases of Diphtheria, only 9 being notified in the year, as compared with 20 in 1902.
All the cases of Scarlet Fever occurred in the military amongst those who had recently arrived from England.
RELATIVE MORTALITY IN THE DIFFERENT SEASONS, 1903.
Population-Non-Chinese 18,581; Chinese 307,050.
Rate
Rate
Months.
Non- ('hinese.!
Total
per Chinese.
per
Deaths.
1,000.
1,000.
Total Death excluding Plague and Small-pox.
January,
20
408
128
422
February,
17
13.1
391
-17:46
408
379
March,
25
482
507
389
April,
28
622
650
379
May, June,..
43
24.5
641
25.32
684
314
43
681
724
375
July,
158
480
393
August,..
22
13.9
469
17.83
191
461
September,
21
412
463
154
October,
26
499
525
517
November,
16
-14-8
364
16.8
380
877
December,
27
418
445
145
Total,....
810
5.875
6,185
4,905
GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION OF THE COLONY.
The diminution in the death-rate both amongst the Non-Chinese and the Chinese tends to show that the sanitary condition of the Colony is improving.
This is more marked as Plague was much more prevalent in 1903 than in 1902.
The total number of deaths was 598 less in 1903 than in 1902, notwithstand- ing that there were 669 more deaths from Plague in 1903 than in the previous
year.
The Public Health and Buildings Bill came into force on the 21st February and will do much to further the better sanitary condition of the Colony.
This Ordinance will not, however, produce an immediate effect, as many of its sections apply to houses hereafter erected and others, such as the cubicle sections, are so far reaching in their application that they must of necessity be enforced gradually.