CO129-391 - Acting Governor Claud Severn Governor Sir May - 1912 [7-8] — Page 295

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effort has therefore been made to drive the rats away from human

dwellings. Accordingly during the present epidemic an area of some

ten acres of the City of Victoria was declared Plague infected

and the Sanitary staff proceeded to remove all ceilings, stair-

linings, wainscottings and other structures behind which rats

could breed, from the dwellings within this area. Nineteen cases

of Plague had occurred therein up to the end of March, but owing

to the necessary preliminary arrangements which had to be made

with the Chinese inhabitants through the Registrar General, the

work did not actually begin until April 29th and by this time 46

cases of Plague had been removed from this area. This work occu-

pied two months and during this period a further 21 cases occurred

therein, while 15 Plague infected decumanus and 3 Plague infected

rattus were also found in the same district. After the completion

of the work only two further cases occurred in this infected dis-

triot both of which were on the boundary line but it not poss-

ible to draw any very convincing deductions from this/as the epi-

demic was then on the wams. It will be more interesting to note

the effect of these alterations upon this district during the next

Plague season. Other and smaller districts in the City were dealt

with in the same manner, and also an extensive area in kowloon,

and it is proposed gradually extend this work so as ultimately

to rid the native quarters as far as possible of all resting

places for rats within the dwelling houses.

6.

to

Some anxiety was occasioned at one stage of the epidemic by

the occurrence of a few cases of Pneumonic Plague most of these

however were secondary to a general Plague septicaemia, although

a few undoubted cases of primary Pneumonic Plague did occur, one

of them being a valued ward attendant in the Tung Wah Hospital.

It is noteworthy that no case of Plague occurred among the Europe-

an community, although some of the older buildings in the European,

business quarter were invaded by rats, some of which were Plague

infected,

and several Chinese office attendants residing in these

(3)