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309
PlagueThis discase was again epidemic during the
year. In all 1,651 cases of notified with 1,562 deaths. The following Table gives the number of cases reported in eaci. the years 1900 and 1901 :---
January,.
February, March, April,
7900.
1901.
8
7
8
14
5
54
04
160
May,
.326
701
June,
.325
551
July,
.209
109
August,
80
27
September,
16
24
October,
12
1
November,
2
1
December,
2
2
1,087
1,651
RELATIVE MORTALITY IN THE DIFFERENT SEASONS.
From the following Table it will be seen that the months of May and June were the most fatal ;/ excluding plague and small-pox September, October and December were the most fatal months.
1901.
Population-Non-Chinese 20,096, Chinese 280,564.
Deaths.
Month.
Non-Chinese. Rate per 1000.
Chinese,
Rate per 1000. Total Deaths.,
Total Deaths excluding Plagne and Small-pox.
27
369
396
390
26
16.92
443
17.57
469
450
32
421
453
379
38
474
507
878
47
26.07
963
34.06
1,010
449
51
962
1,003
427
32
559
591
304
39
20.13
475
80.97
514
469
30
522
652
580
541
272
671
34
18.91
408
21.27
442
441
30
543
573
571
This is the fourth year in succession that this disease has been epidemic in the Colony, mon Europeans were attacked last year than is generally the case, the number being 30, although in 1898, 26 were attacked.
January,
February,.
March,
April,
May,
June,..
July,
August,
September,
October, November,
Most of them were living on the Queen's Road level and were hence more evident to the European December, Community.
Many of these cases were associated with the finding of rats in the dwellings of those attacki, but whether these rats were themselves the subject of plague was not ascertained. During the first six months of 1901, 48,000 rats were destroyed.
As is usually the case, a large number of the Chinese were dead bodies found lying in the strees or boats in the harbour, in 1902, 308 such cases occurred, these, to a great extent, account for the annual recurrence of this disease, as of necessity the houses from which they come are not disinfected As long as this deposition of dead bodies in the streets occurs so long will plague continue in our midst.
To try to some extent to prevent the yearly onset of the disease, in 1902 in the winter months a systematic cleansing and disinfection of every Chinese house in the City was instituted.
This was commenced in November and continued during the following four months, the magnitude of the operations undertaken will be understood when I state that over 8,000 Chinese houses were the dealt with in Hongkong, and in addition to this the Chinese houses in Kowloon were cleansed and i disinfected.
Bateric Fever-There were 75 cases as compared with 85 in the previous year.
More Europeans were, however, attacked by the disease than in the previous year, the number being 47 as compared with 34 in 1900.
Twenty-two of these cases were however imported.
Malarial Fevers-Extensive operations have been undertaken during the year in the way of remo val of undergrowth, training of nullahs and draining of stagnant pools of water with the object of diminishing the number of mosquitoes.
As far as we can judge by statistics these appear to have been successful, the total number of deaths amongst the Chinese from malarial fever being returned as 541 in 1901 as compared with 887 in 1900.
Beri-beri.-There were 377 deaths from beri-beri as compared with 361 in 1890.
The following Table gives the number of cases of infectious diseases notified during the year 1901-
Disease.
Bubonic Fever,
Small-pox,
Enteric Fever,...........
Diphtheria,
J'uerporal Fever,.........................
Scarlet Fever,..................................
Cholera,
- Y
Jaunary,
2
February.
March.
April.
May.
June.
8 July.
14
54 160 701 551 100
42 28
3 4 12 10
-
15
:
:
A
2
:
:
4
:
August.
September.
October.
November
27
9
2 10
:
...
:
:
-
-
:
J
December.
Toul.
1,651
17
Total..
412
6,670
GENERAL SANITARY CONDITION OF THE COLONY.
7,082
5,334
The presence of plague in an epidemic form for the fourth year in succession shows that more radical measures must be taken to improve the sanitary state of the Colony,
With this object in view a cleansing and disinfection of all the Chinese houses in Victoria and Kowloon was commenced in November and was systematically carried through during the four following months.
The Government also decided to obtain from England the services of two experts in sanitation; Professor SIMPSON, M.D., F.R.C.P., and Mr. ROBERT CHADWICK, M.L.C.E., C.M.G., were appointed to advise as to what further steps should be taken to improve the sanitary condition of the Colony.
During the year the various existing Public Health Ordinances were consolidated in Ordinance No. 13 of 1901.
Ordinance No. 30 of 1901 was passed with a view to limiting the erection of new buildings to a greater height than one and a half times the width of the street on which they front unless the building at present occupying such site exceeds that height, in which case the new building may be carried up as high as the existing one so long as the scale contained in Ordinance No. 15 of 1894 is not exceeded.
It also provides that no existing building which does not at present exceed in height one and a half times the width of the street on which it fronts shall be so raised as to exceed that limit of height. It is evident, that resumption of insanitary buildings and of areas will be necessary before there can be much improvement in inany of the crowded parts of the Colony,
More public latrines and urinals are also needed.-
VACCINATIONS.
The following vaccinations were performed during the year:
Government Civil Hospital,
Victoria Goal,..........
Alice Memorial Hospital,
Tung Wah :-
Victoria,
644
.2,880
771
..1,826
Aberdeen,
46
Stanley,
24
Shaukiwan,
25
Hung Hom,
7
Yaumati,.
24
1,952
6,247
1,847
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