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112. 42,297 emigrants and 20,200 crew from 164 emigrant ships were examined with eight rejects. 179 ships totalling 273,871 net tons were fumigated and 1,948 rats were recovered. Either sulpher or cyanide fumigation was used. 151 exemp- tions were granted.
113. There was a further increase in the number of bills of health issued, the total reaching 3,062 of which 8,011 were issued to merchant ships, forty-nine to H.M. ships and two to aircraft. Fifty-six Radio Pratiques were isaued. 110 ships were examined from plague-infected ports.
114. Inspection of passengers arriving by train from Canton was carried out during the following periods.
8. 1.49 to 22. 6.49 (at terminus Station).
15. 8.49 to 15.10.49
14.11.49 to 18.12.49
20.12.49 to 31.12.49 (At Lo Wu Station).
115. The total of 696,237 passengers were seen and of these 398,890 were vaccinated. 16 cases of chicken-pox, five of measles and two of leprosy were discovered and isolated; five dogs were also found and handed over to the Police.
116. Through trains to Canton ceased on 14th October 1949. On an average each train brought in approximately 700 pas- sengers and the examination and vaccination, where necessary, of these passengers presented a big administrative problem if long delays were to be avoided. It was due to the voluntary co-operation of the workers of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, who are trained and gazetted as public vaccinators, that it was possible to clear a trainload of passengers in an average time of half-an-hour.
117. 4,377 aircraft from infected ports were inspected with 70,950 passengers and 19,900 crew. 1,041 yellow fever inocu- lations were carried out by the Port Health Officer.
118. There was an increase in the fees charged for vaccina- tion and inoculation certificates from fifty cents to two dollars from the 1st December and the stamp duty on bills of health was increased from $6. to $10. on the 10th December 1949,
119. On 22nd March 1950, Dr. P. H. Teng, Senior Port Health Officer departed for the United Kingdom to study port Health administration in the United Kingdom and if possible in the United States of America and to discuss mutual problems with the port health authorities in these countries.
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(v) School Hygiene.
120. The staff of the School Hygiene Branch consists of one medical officer in charge, four assistant medical officers, one nursing sister, four nurses, two health inspectors and clerical staff. In addition to this full time staff there is a part-time staff consisting of two ophthalmic surgeons and an ear nose and throat surgeon,
121. During the year there were 28,536 medical examing- tions of pupils. Medical inspections were carried out twice a year in the school premises.
122. The pupils inspected included the following groups:
(1) All new entrants.
(2) Periodicals, i.e. old pupils falling under the age
groups of 5, 10, 12, 15 and 18,
(3) Re-examinations, e. all children placed under observation in the previous examinations, those referred by their teachers for special examina- tions and those due for annual examination of vision and teeth.
123. The schools visited may be classified under the fol- lowing groups:·
(A) Five Government Schools with a total number of 868 students. Most of the pupils in these schools were European. The total number of medical inspections undertaken during the year was 1,823.
(B) Twenty-six Government Schools with a total number of 7,795 students. Most of the pupils in these schools were Chinese. The total number of medical inspec- tions undertaken during the year was 10,950.
(C) Sixty-nine Subsidized Schools with a total number of 12,880 students. Most of the pupils in these schools were Chinese. The total number of medical inspec- tions undertaken during the year was 16,263. 11 of these schools (all Workers' Children's Schools) with a total enrolment of 844 pupils were closed after the summer vacation.
124. The number of medical inspections undertaken in these schools, with the results, are shown in Annexure H.
125. It will be noted that dental caries, conjuctivitis, defec- tive vision and worm infections were the most common defects found amongst pupils attending all types of schools. Anaemia,