M 19
Malaria may be acute or chronic and it does not follow that, because a death from this disease happened in any one year, the infection was acquired in the same year.
The flow of the population to and from neighbouring Chinese territory, amounting in a year to more than the estimated population of the Colony, makes it impossible to say to what extent the infection of Malaria causing deaths within the Colony may have occurred herein.
Variations in the numbers of deaths ascribed to Malaria are probably caused by the occurrence of other diseases in Epidemic form, for example, it may be that during an Epidemic of Plague some would die from this disease who would have otherwise died from Malaria.
During a severe Epidemic the total number of deaths is increased and therefore the percentage of deaths from other causes than that prevailing in Epidemic form, on the total deaths is lessened.
Infection with Malaria will vary with the prevalence of mosquitos and this again with varying meteorological conditions.
The distribution, as regards time, of the rainfall has an effect on the prevalence of mosquitos.
In spite of all these difficulties in estimating, according to time and locality, the prevalence of Malaria in the Colony it has been thought useful to compile the tables given below.
There is one matter which seems to deserve special notice namely the construction of motor roads during recent years.
These roads have made easily accessible parts of the Colony which formerly were less easily reached and in which no permanent anti-mosquito measures have been undertaken.
Frequent excursions by urban dwellers are now made to the south side of the island of Hongkong and to the New Territory. A considerable number of those who formerly dwelt in urban area have gone to these outlying districts to live. Their chances of acquiring the infection of Malaria are thereby increased.
During 1925 the total deaths from Malaria were 702 (707 in 1924). Of these 10 were Non-Chinese (6 in 1924).
This number of deaths is a percentage of 4.68 of the total registered deaths.
The Chinese deaths from Malaria in the City of Victoria (excluding the Peak and Harbour) numbered 200 (187 in 1924) in an estimated population of 465,000 giving a rate of 0.43 per thousand (0.44 in 1924).