Tuberculosis.
169
Hong Kong
The following extract from the Report of the
Sanitary Department 1922 gives information on the
position.
"In the Health Report for the year 1921 there
were made some comments on the housing of the Chinese
working classes and, as regards Tuberculosis it was
shown that deaths from this cause greatly outnumbered
those from all the Notifiable Infectious Diseases.
The same is observable during 1922 for, during
this year the total deaths from Tubercular Diseas es
were 2,096 while those due to the Notifiable Diseases
were 1,708.
The deaths in 1922 from General and Pulmonary
Tuberculosis were 1,777 or 12.47 per cent of the
total deaths.
The want of sufficient light and ventilation in
the subdivisions or cubicles which the Chinese are
driven to meke owing to the bad design of the houses
provided for them under the present building laws is
doubtless much to blame for the high incidence of
tuberculosis in the Colony.
It is true that the law does not permit the
erection of windowless cubicles in houses built since
the passing of the present Public Health and Buildings
Ordinance, but as the law has not had the effect of
providing houses in which such cubicles are unneces-
sary they are still constructed. Efforts over many
years to aboligh: such cubicles have not succeeded.
During the year under review it was recognised
that it was necessary to make some concession in the
matter
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.