Most of the burden has, of course, been borne by the urban area but many thousands have also crowded into the towns and villages in the rural areas comprising the New Territories:
(The actual refugee invasion was fairly continuous throughout the year. It received an impetus in the summer coincident with the bombing of Canton, particularly in June. A second wave followed the Japanese landing at Bias Bay and the invasion of Kwangtung on the 12th of October ending with the capture of Canton by the Japanese troops. Yet a third wave resulted from the "mopping up" operations by the Japanese along the Hong Kong-Kwangtung border on the 25th of November)
The taking of Canton and closing of the Pearl River which preceded it cut off that avenue of escape, but this did not deter refugees from making their way to Hong Kong via Shekki and Macao. On one day the surplus immigrants over emigrants through this channel amounted to over 3,600.
A slight check was placed on entry into the Colony by a regulation requiring immigrants to possess at least twenty dollars per head, but this system is obviously open to fraud
As might be expected local charitable organizations could not hope to cope with the destitution and distress associated with the refugee problem and Government had to assume control and to erect camps in both the urban and rural areas. Further details of these relief schemes are given in Appendix II of this Report.
That the general health of the community deteriorated as a result of these abnormal conditions goes without saying. Many cases of dangerous infectious disease actually found their way into the Colony in spite of the increased vigilance of the Port Health Authorities and their colleagues in the New Territories and urban areas. Thousands of ill-fed, aged and sick persons also sought safety from the invaded regions and added to the already heavy task of the hospital authorities in the Government and Chinese hospitals. That this alarming situation did not become far more grave was due in no small part to the work of the Medical and Health Staff. A local appeal for funds for the relief of distress in South China raised $389,824.16.
Epidemics.
SMALLPOX.
(The outbreak of smallpox started in the early winter of 1937. It reached a peak in March, 1938, when 236 cases and 192 deaths were recorded in one week (ending the 19th of March). Particularly vigorous measures were instituted about that time including the introduction of compulsory vaccination for all immigrants and the placing of Canton in quarantine for the first time in history, thus enabling the Health Authorities to examine and vaccinate the many thousands arriving daily from that port and its smallpox-infected hinterland.)
An anti-smallpox and vaccination campaign was carried out in both the English and Chinese Press and through posters all over the territory. Free vaccination centres were opened up in hospitals, dispensaries and at convenient points. The quota of twelve vaccinators was augmented by twenty-four temporary officers. As a result of intensive propaganda some 1,027,591 vaccinations were carried out during the year.
Most of the vaccine lymph used was prepared locally in the Government Bacteriological Institute and gave uniformly satisfactory results. A certain quantity was imported as a reserve to meet any unusual demands.
Three additional wards providing accommodation for from 45 to 60 patients were built in the space of nine days at the Infectious Diseases Hospital.
* This figure does not include the St. John Ambulance Brigade figure for December.
8
Most of the burden has, of course, been borne by the urban area but many thousands have also crowded into the towns and villages in the rural areas comprising the New Territories:
(The actual refugee invasion was fairly continuous throughout the year. It received an impetus in the summer coincident with the bombing of Canton, parti- cularly in June. A second wave followed the Japanese landing at Bias Bay and the invasion of Kwangtung on the 12th of October ending with the capture of Canton by the Japanese troops. Yet a third wave resulted from the "mopping up" operations by the Japanese along the Hong Kong-Kwangtung border on the 25th of November)
The taking of Canton and closing of the Pearl River which preceded it cut off that avenue of escape, but this did not deter refugees from making their way to Hong Kong via Shekki and Macao. On one day the surplus immigrants over emigrants through this channel amounted to over 3,600.
A slight check was placed on entry into the Colony by a regulation requiring immigrants to possess at least twenty dollars per head, but this system is obviously open to fraud
As might be expected local charitable organizations could not hope to cope with the destitution and distress associated with the refugee problem and Government had to assume control and to erect camps in both the urban and rural areas. Further details of these relief schemes are given in Appendix II of this Report.
That the general health of the community deteriorated as a result of these abnormal conditions goes without saying. Many cases of dangerous infectious disease actually found their way into the Colony in spite of the increased vigilance of the Port Health Authorities and their colleagues in the New Territories and urban areas. Thousands of ill-fed, aged and sick persons also sought safety from the invaded regions and added to the already heavy task of the hospital authorities in the Government and Chinese hospitals. That this alarming situation did not become far more grave was due in no small part to the work of the Medical and Health Staff. A local appeal for funds for the relief of distress in South China raised $389,824.16.
Epidemics.
SMALLPOX.
(The outbreak of smallpox started in the early winter of 1937. It reached a peak in March, 1938, when 236 cases and 192 deaths were recorded in one week (ending the 19th of March). Particularly vigorous measures were instituted about that time including the introduction of compulsory vaccination for all immigrants and the placing of Canton in quarantine for the first time in history, thus enabling the Health Authorities to examine and vaccinate the many thousands arriving daily from that port and its smallpox-infected hinterland.)
An anti-smallpox and vaccination campaign was carried out in both the English and Chinese Press and through posters all over the territory. Free vaccination centres were opened up in hospitals, dispensaries and at convenient points. The quota of twelve vaccinators was augmented by twenty-four temporary officers. a result of intensive propaganda some *1,027,591 vaccinations were carried out during the year.
As
Most of the vaccine lymph used was prepared locally in the Government Bacteriological Institute and gave uniformly satisfactory results. A certain quantity was imported as a reserve to meet any unusual demands.
Three additional wards providing accommodation for from 45 to 60 patients were built in the space of nine days at the Infectious Diseases Hospital.
* This figure does not include the St. John Ambulance Brigade figure for December.
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