# III. HYGIENE AND SANITATION.
## (A) General Review of Work done and Progress made.
### (I) Preventive Measures.
#### (i) Mosquito and insect-borne diseases.
##### (a) Malaria.
51. Some reference has already been made to the work carried out by the Malaria Bureau which was established in 1930. As a result of its activities malaria is now limited to the outskirts of towns and the country districts. However, there are still many parts of Victoria where permanent drainage works have not yet been put in and it would be premature to allow any relaxation of anti-malarial activities at present. The scope of the work done by the Bureau during 1938 may be seen in the Malariologist's Report for the year, "Section IX, Scientific."
52. The total number of deaths recorded from malaria during the year was 733, an increase of thirty-four on the 1937 figure. When it is recalled that tens of thousands of refugees arrived from malarious districts during the year, there is some cause for satisfaction that the increase of deaths was relatively insignificant. Difficulty is still being experienced in control of breeding on land under wet cultivation,
53. It is, of course, impossible to abolish paddy-fields, but as the area under wet cultivation is far too extensive to be treated with non-oily larvicides, other measures such as screening and netting have to take their place.
##### (b) Yellow fever.
54. No case of yellow fever has yet been authenticated in the Eastern hemisphere. Rigorous measures of surveillance and control have been imposed on aircraft travelling from infected territories to the East, and thus far they appear to have been successful.
##### (c) Filariasis.
55. The incidence of filariasis in the Colony is negligible. Other diseases conveyed by insect vectors are dealt with under separate heads.
#### (ii) Epidemic diseases.
##### (a) Plague.
56. Rats are trapped systematically throughout the year. 189,502 were trapped during 1938, 21,893 of these being alive. A portion of each day's catch is taken to the two public mortuaries. The rats are examined after death and spleen smears are made each day from a certain number of them. P. pestis was not demonstrated in these smears, nor have any rats been noted with signs of plague during the year under review. In the absence of human cases it is, therefore, legitimate to affirm that P. pestis does not exist in the Colony at present.
57. Periodical cleansing of houses is carried out and mild anti-rat propaganda is given to their inmates. 1,289 rat holes were blocked up during the year as compared with 1,313 in 1937. It is questionable whether any or all of these measures have a marked influence on the rat population of Hong Kong.
58. The measures taken to prevent the introduction of plague from shipping are described in the section dealing with port health work and administration.
M 15
III. HYGIENE AND SANITATION.
(A) General Review of Work done and Progress made.
(I) Preventive Measures.
(i) Mosquito and insect-borne diseases.
(a) Malaria.
51. Some reference has already been made to the work carried out by the Malaria Bureau which was established in 1930. As a result of its activities malaria is now limited to the outskirts of towns and the country districts. However, there are still many parts of Victoria where permanent drainage works have not yet been put in and it would be premature to allow any relaxation of anti- malarial activities at present. The scope of the work done by the Bureau during 1938 may be seen in the Malariologist's Report for the year, "Section IX, Scientific."
52. The total number of deaths recorded from malaria during the year was 733, an increase of thirty four on the 1937 figure. When it is recalled that tens of thousands of refugees arrived from malarious districts during the year, there is some cause for satisfaction that the increase of deaths was relatively insignificant. Difficulty is still being experienced in control of breeding on land under wet cultivation,
53. It is, of course, impossible to abolish paddy-fields, but as the area under wet cultivation is far too extensive to be treated with non-oily larvicides, other measures such as screening and netting have to take their place.
(b) Yellow fever.
54. No case of yellow fever has yet been authenticated in the Eastern hemisphere. Rigorous measures of surveillance and control have been imposed on aircraft travelling from infected territories to the East, and thus far they appear to have been successful.
(c) Filariasis.
55. The incidence of filariasis in the Colony is negligible. Other diseases conveyed by insect vectors are dealt with under separate heads.
(ii) Epidemic diseases.
(a) Plague.
56. Rats are trapped systematically throughout the year. 189,502 were trapped during 1938, 21,893 of these being alive. A portion of each day's catch is taken to the two public mortuaries. The rats are examined after death and spleen smears are made each day from a certain number of them. P. pestis was not demonstrated in these smears, nor have any rats been noted with signs of plague during the year under review. In the absence of human cases it is, therefore, legitimate to affirm that P. pestis does not exist in the Colony at present.
57. Periodical cleansing of houses is carried out and mild anti-rat propaganda is given to their inmates. 1,289 rat holes were blocked up during the year as compared with 1,313 in 1937. It is questionable whether any or all of these measures have a marked influence on the rat population of Hong Kong.
58. The measures taken to prevent the introduction of plague from shipping are described in the section dealing with port health work and administration.
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