3.
14
10. On the 14th, there being some indication that the
infection causing the outbreak was milk-borne, the various
dairies were visited and one, the Dairy Farm, decided to
institute pasteurisation of all milk and cream before issuing.
The public were warned to boil all milk and to refrain from
eating raw vegetables or fruits which might possibly be
contaminated.
11. Daily conferences took place in the head office where
the information gathered by the various Health Officers was discussed and compared.
12. On the 18th the Director of Medical Services attended
a conference at Government House where the situation was explained
to the editors of the local press. On that day notices were prep- ared for distribution to all private practitioners asking for
particulars of cases coming under their care. Some 200 notices
were issued. Instructions were issued to Health Officers and
Bacteriologists to examine dairy workers in a search for
carriers.
13. It was arranged that the Health Officer should issue daily communiqués to the press.
14. The following are some of the facts in connection with
the epidemic.
1. The organism causing the infection has been identified in
many of the cases as the Bacterium dysenteriae of Shiga.
With few exceptions the cases were European children aged from 8 months to 10 years.
2.
3.
4.
The majority of cases came from Kowloon, the remainder
with two exceptions lived on the Peak. There were almost
no cases among the considerable population living at the
eastern end of Victoria.
Twelve cases are reported to have first shown symptoms on
the 8th instant and eleven on the 9th. Thereafter the
numbers declined, not more than five being reported on
any one day.