particular department. Unsatisfactory working conditions have been found to be the cause in some cases in the past, and corrected.
40. Surveys are carried out free for private firms and institutions on condition that they undertake to provide sick leave with pay on an agreed scale to persons requiring treat- ment. The number of such surveys done during 1954 was 35. A composite analysis of the findings are tabulated below com- paring the results with those of 1958:
TABLE 3
Year
1954
1953
Total X-rayed.....
0.480
1.771
Choically examined. ARAKKE
447
1.182
Active tuberculosis.............
142
137
1.67
1.76
Percentage with active tuberculosk
|--
41. All prisoners are X-rayed and periodically checked by a Medical Officer. A high percentage of infection is usually The figures for the current year are tabulated
detected. below:
Total X-rayed
TABLE
Requiring further examination
Tuberculosis-uclivity not specified
Admitted to hospital
4,906
530
*32
42. Special provision is made for the X-ray examination of all school teachers as it is realized that there is considerable danger that this disease may be spread amongst school children
14
by teachers suffering from active pulmonary tuberculosis. All Leachers in Government schools are examined annually, being Government employees, but teachers in private schools are only examined when they seek registration either on appointment or on re-appointment to a new post.
Prevention.
43. Efforts at preventing the spread of tuberculosis are concentrated on public propaganda, education of patients, and B.C.G. vaccination. Public propaganda is, by agreement, the field of the Anti-Tuberculosis Association, education of patients is mainly done by the Medical Department staff of Tuberculosis Visitors in the home, and B.C.G. vaccination is done as a joint effort by all agencies concerned with the tuberculosis problem, including certain private practitioners.
44. B.C.G. vaccination started in April, 1952, with technical and material assistance from the United Nations International Children's Fund and the World Health Organization. This assistance comes to an end in April, 1955, after which the work will be carried on 28 a local responsibility. The scheme originally started with three mobile teams provided by Govern- ment and one static unit provided by the Anti-Tuberculosis Association. The mobile teams first concentrated on the vaccination of all school children and then turned their attention to the vaccination of younger children. These teams were broken up into smaller units, one of which was attached to the School Health Service to maintain the vaccination state among new entrants to schools and the remainder were stationed in Infant Welfare Clinics and other public places where children were to be found. The house-to-house campaign which was being carried out in conjunction with the house cleansing squads operated by the Urban Services Department had to be abandoned when house cleansing was discontinued.
46. The experiments conducted to ascertain which method of vaccinating new born infants would give the most satisfactory conversion rate with minimum complications indicated that the
*
15