Thursday, February 14, 1974
Dr. Thong urged parents to take advantage of this service to
help the department in its attempt to arrest the rising incidence of the
disease, and to prevent a possible outbreak of a full-blown measles eridenic
in Hong Kong during the remainder of this cold season.
He recalled that in 1973, of the 80,147 live births registered, only
25,020 children under one year were inoculated, or 31.2 per cent. Taking
account of other susceptible children who were also inoculated last year, the
total reached 48,205.
"This is clearly unsatisfactory," Dr. Thong said. "Parents must
be much botter than that, and the time is now."
He made a special appeal to parents in housing estates, because
of the 11 deaths recorded in January, six were from families living in
estates. Hecales being a highly infectious disease, he explained that only
inoculation could prevent it from spreading among children in large
concentrations of population.
Dr. Thong recalled that the last epidemic of the disease occurred
in the winter spring of 1966-67. Free anti-measles vaccine became available
on a year-round basis from December 1967.
Since then, the incidence of, and deaths from, measles had remaineù
low "due in part to the immunisation facilities."
Dr. Thong repeated the warning that although measles was regarded
by many people as a common childhood disease and perhaps not a very serious
one by itself, danger reposed in the complications that could arise from it
such as bronchitis, pneumonia, middle ear infection, and encephalitis.
He strongly advised parents not to persist in the wrong belief that
flevery child should be made to go through an attack of measles instead of
being prevented from getting it, or having it suppressed,"
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