expedient in the public interest, and they define the liability of the managements of companies. The regulations however were subjected to extensive amendments and a further draft is now in course of preparation.
IL PUBLIC HEALTH
GENERAL COMMENTS
56. Despite the density of population, the overcrowding and an annual movement of some 2,078,763 persons in and out of Hong Kong the general level of health has been well maintained and for the eighth year in succession no case of any of the quarantinable diseases was reported. Morbidity and mortality from diphtheria have declined appre- ciably as a result of an intensive and continuing inoculation campaign. The toll exacted by this disease and by the enteric fevers is still un- necessarily high and it is as yet too early to attach any significance to the lower incidences. A severe epidemic of measles occurred during the winter months and caused a number of deaths amongst the younger age groups of the large child population.
VITAL STATISTICS
57. The registration of all deaths and live births occurring in Hong Kong is compulsory under the Births and Deaths Registration Ordio- ance. Still births are not registrable but the numbers received by cemeteries for burial are recorded. Table 1 shows the annual returTIS for births and deaths during the past five-year period.
TABLE 1
BIRTHS AND DEATHS 1956-60
Grade Dive
Fear
Grolerated AL-Fear
Total Live Pumphr
Bek Rare
(per 1,000
SAQ Births Recorded
Jon Cheats
Population
Population)
1956
2,440,000
96.746
39.7
986
1957
2.383,000
1956
1959
1960
97,834 37.9 2,748,000 106,624 38.8 2,857,000 104,597
36.6 2,981,000 110,667 37.1
1,245
Crude Death Rare (per 1000 Pepedtattarmi 19,295 7.9 19,365 7.5
1,297
20,554 7.3
1,393
20,250 7,1
1.680 19,146 6.4
the age of 15 years and only five per cent being aged 60 or over. This age structure is reflected by the low crude death rate, the continuing decline of which can be attributed largely to the concommitant fall in infant mortality; almost twenty five per cent of deaths at present occur in children under the age of one year.
59. The mortality pattern continues to show the same trends observed during previous years, namely, decreasing mortality from the infectious and febrile diseases and increases in deaths from diseases of later life, particularly neoplasms and cerebro-vascular disorders. An analysis of mortality for the years 1956 to 1960 can be found in Appendix 4.
TABLE 2
INFANTILE AND MATERNAL MORTALITY 1956-60
Neo-natal Mortality
Infantile Mortality
Muternal Mortality
Year
Rate (per 1000
Rate (per 1,000
Rate (per 1000
live "births)
live births)
total births)
1956
60.9
24.2
0.90
1957
55.6
23.8
1.06
1958
54.3
23.4
0.83
1959
48.3
21.3
0.73
1960
41.5
20.9
0.49
60. Table 2 shows the recent trends in infane and maternal mortality. There have been further reductions in infant deaths from bronchopneumonia and gastroenteritis and tuberculosis is now an al- most insignificant factor in mortality amongst children under the age of one year. However, neonatal mortality is not declining at the same rate. 61. An analysis of maternal mortality over the past four years is shown in Table 3. It will be seen that toxaemias and haemorrhages of pregnancy remain the principal fatal complications although marked reductions have occurred; ectopic gestations are becoming relatively more prominent as a cause of maternal death,
TABLE 3
ANALYSIS OF MATERNAL MORTALITY 1957-60
(per 1,000 total births)
58. Following the slight drop during 1959 in the total births recorded and the birth rate, there was a further upsurge during 1960 and the recorded natural increase of 91,521 was the highest in Hong Kong's history. The pilot census confirmed previous presumptions that the population is a young one, approximately forty per ceat being below
14
Frar
Sepals (excluding
Toxaemias Hoemorrhages Abortions
Sepric Abortions)
Ectopic Pregnancies
Others
1957
020
.373
.334
.040
.060
.132
1959
.340
236
028
.066
.056
1960
.010
.179
.143
.045
072
.043