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provision for the compulsory treatment of prostitutes but, fortunately in Hong Kong, these women have largely come to recognize the value of treatment and are coming fairly well to the V.D. clinics. The Lady Medical Officer in charge has told me that, unlike the position to most Colonies, they will continue to attend for a fairly requisite period, even after symptoms have been alleviated. The position in regard to male patients is much the same. With modern methods of treatment ttendance will not need to be so prolonged and this will mean that more people will be attracted to clinics and more patients can be treated in any given period. The clinics have had to depend on the goodwill of the Services for supplies of necessary drugs. When more bed accommodation becomes available attempts will be made to adopt intensive treatment; this is impracticable at present. Mean time policy must be concentrated on more and better propaganċa. It would also be well to provide for males facilities for protection before non-marital intercourse, is done in the case of Service personnel,
as
Tuberculosis. The position in regard to pulmonary tuberculosis can be judged pretty well from previous references. I doubt if the menace of this disease to
Its the individual and to the public health generally can be over-emphasized. control depends on controlling all the fa tors recognised as necessary to the spread of tuberculosis, bad housing, overcrowdin,„, ralrutrition and ignorance.
All these will have to be faced up to if any real progress is to be made, One of the first things essential is to establish mass radiography facilities so as to ensure rapid and early diagnosis. Plant is required mat can be transported to different centros and, with this, there should be special clinics for these cases. There is no special accommodation where tuberculosis cases can be received at an early stage of their illness and be given the fullest chance of recovery.
In the main cases only report in an advanced stage of illness, and go to hospital to die. A qualified specialist should visit the Colony and report on the extent of the disease and measures to be taken to control its Such a step however implies acceptance of recommendations put forward, one of which in this case would certainly be proposals for a great extension of housing accommodation, and for slum clearance generally.
Infectious Disease. Under the section dealing with Personnel I have briefly stated the position in regard to Health staff, At the moment, Col. Fehily has no qualified Health Officers, except his A. D. H. S., although Hong Kong, more than other territories, is a place where health problems predominate and sanitary control is vital. The occurrence of periodic epidemics in Hong Kong on a massive scale during the years immediately preceding the occupation, when there was a great influx of refugees, shows what can happen in a territory with a policy of practically uncon- trolled immigration. There is no epidemic disease in the Colony at present but it is not likely this immunity will last much longer. In addition to outbreaks of major infectious diseases, a good deal of minor infectious disease occurs from time to time, or is imported. In the future it may be that, with altered conditions, Hong Kong will be up against diseases that in previous years were not ordinarily encountered.
11.
QUARANTINE AND PORT HEALTH SERVICES
A note of the normal services is to be found in the Wellington Review, page 27 et seq. An up-to-date review of the situation is also disclosed in the Quarterly Review (ending November) which I understand Col. Fehily has forwarded to the Colonial Office.
At the Kai Tak airfield the R.A. F. Authorities inspect vaccination and other certificates and get the usual statement from the Commander of the aircraft but there is no reception hut nor is there any accommodation in which to detain cases for observation, nor any staff. When the new civil airport at Ping Shan is opened it is expected that some thing like thirty aircraft will land daily.
Port Health work in connection with shipping is nominally being carried out by the Royal Navy. There are, of course, at the moment not a great many non-Navy ships arriving, apart from coastal traffic, There is no medical inspection of emigrants or immigrants and there can be no fumigation of ships because there is no apparatus for this.
It has been put out of action, and so have the disinfectors on the hulk "Aldecoe" since the latter has been sunk, Vaccination from house to house has been planned but the D.D.M.S. has at present no vaccine lymph..
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