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Monday, October 1, 1973
MARKED RISE IN MEASLES DEATHS
Five deaths from measles and 101 notifications of the same disease
were recorded during August, according to the monthly health returns issued
by the Medical and Health Department today.
The deaths brought the total of fatalities from this disease to
11 so far this year
for the whole of 1972.
already exceeding by two the total of nine recorded
A spokesman for the department said the marked rise in deaths was
"unfortunate," but he emphasised the need for parents of susceptible children
between six months and five years to have them immunised.
He appealed for parental co-operation to prevent the outbreak of
a measles epidemic in Hong Kong. The last epidemic was in 1966-67 when 1,045 children died,
Free measles vaccine is available throughout the year at all
government maternity and child health centres.
In August, notifications of all communicable diseases totalled 878.
Apart from the five deaths from measles, amoebiasis resulted in one other
fatality, and tuberculosis 109, bringing the total for the month to 115.
There was no case of diphtheria. One case of cerebrospinal meningitis
and one of poliomyelitis were reported. Typhoid fever accounted for 18
notifications.
No appreciable variation occurred in the notifications of other
infectious diseases, and Hong Kong remained free from cholera and other
quarantinable diseases in August.
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