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I have made a full Report,* elsewhere, on the entire Epidemic (q.v.). In that report, I have set out, in detail the great difficulties of control, created by lack of Isolation Hospitals; Concealment; Nursing at home; Chinese 'treatment'; Dumping; use of Public Vehicles and other irregularities.
A report on Vaccination* has also been submitted by the Chinese Assistant Medical Officer of Health, (q.v.). From this, it seems certain that an earlier campaign is needed and that the regulations for the vaccination of Infants must be revised and strengthened.
The most serious facts brought out by these investigations are that the great majority of cases were concealed and 'dumped' and that infants and young children suffered very heavily.
Most of the Chinese cases, I saw, were confluent or haemorrhagic in type and none showed signs of recent or successful vaccination.
Unfortunately, concealment and the casual attitude of the Chinese towards this disease, render contact control hopeless and statistics unreliable.
The question of treatment in Isolation Hospitals and the farce of 'nursing at home' in crowded tenements need particularly urgent attention.
Below is a table which shows the monthly incidence of Smallpox for the last ten years:
MONTHLY PREVALENCE OF SMALL-POX, 1919 TO 1928.
Month 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 January 2 1 3 4 33 8 255 6 25 38 February 6 3 433 7 11 33 8 25 38 137 March 3 7 11 33 8 255 6 25 62 April 9 11 33 8 255 6 25 38 47 May 33 8 255 6 25 38 137 21 June 8 255 6 25 38 137 19 14 July 255 6 25 38 137 19 6 61 August 6 25 38 137 19 6 54 61 September 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 29 28 October 1 0 3 1 0 165 1 3 0 6 November 0 3 1 397 3 5 0 407 (4 14 December 3 1 0 407 4 622 104 H000 30 19 Total 27 34 191 212 1320 913 66 49 149 616 469 4 353 25 361 37 335 292 8 160 3 15 73 17 46 7 38 21 189 100 502 340 759* See footnote, page 53.
Report on Vaccination, Hong Kong, 1928. (K. C. Yeo.)
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