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3. PREVALENT DISEASES. · cont'd.
malaria season is past and anti-malarial control is being established more firmly every day, and will go on improving. Personnel in the services are required to take suppressive meapcrin and the incidence among them is not nearly so high as amongst the civil population. There are good stocks of mepacrin in the Services and supplies have been given to the civil Affairs Authorities; in addition, very con- siderable stocks of Japanese quinine were left behind.
Pulmonary tuberculosis has always been with the Chinese. In spite of this, they do not seem to have acquired any high degree of immunity to the infection. The universul habit of spitting has been largely responsible for spreading infection and, in addition, post-war conditions are highly favourable to its spread. Urban areas are already becoming Frossly overcrowded and there has been for years no supervision of dwelling houses or tenements. It will tuke many months before more favourable conditions can be re- established. In addition, resistance is low on account of the privations endured although this is improving with better feeding. Not only is the coolie class population widely affected but also the clerical group. Clerks and their families who have been living outside Hong Kong during the occupation are returning in increasing numbers and many of them, together with those remaining in Hong Kong, are probably affected. The cases that come to notice can only form a small proportion of the total that exists. There are no clinics for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, nor any sanitoria. Other forms of tuberculosis are not said to be prevalent in Hong Kong,
The incidence of venereal disease amongst the civil population in the Colony is out of all proportion to its occurrence before the occupation. Apparently the position altered for the worse in the later stages of the occupation and some of the infections in the New Territories, where the incidence used not to be high, is attributed to the introduction of the infection by Japanese troops coming from other areas, such as Singapore. It must be remembered that there hus been no treatment whatever available for these people until after our re-entry. The evidence collected at V.D. clinics shows that, instead of the pre-war ratio of three cases of gonorrhoea to one of syphilis, the proportions now are nearly equal, while there is a high percentage of dual infections. There are four clinics in the Colony solely for the treatment of venereal disease; each with male and female sections, and venereal disease is also treated at the out-patient clinics in the various hospitals. The position in regard to treatment in this Colony is more favourable than that found in many other British territories. There is no stigma attached to venereal disease and V.D. clinics are undoubtedly popular, with attendances increasing
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