XN000022-1984-03-23 — Page 13

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FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1984

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NOTIFICATIONS FELL FROM 7 527 IN 1982 TO 7 301 IN 1983.

+THE NOTIFICATION RATE AT 137.4 PER 100 000 POPULATION WAS THE LOWEST EVER.

+ IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT DURING THE YEAR ABOUT 500 CASES OF ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS REQUIRING TREATMENT WERE IMPORTED, OF WHICH ABOUT 70 WERE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

+DEATHS ALSO FELL FROM 454 IN 1982 TO 446 IN 1983 AND THE DEATH RATE TO 8.4 PER 100 000, THE LOWEST IN THE HISTORY OF HONG KONG

HOWEVER. DR THONG ADDED THAT DESPITE THE ENCOURAGING PROGRESS, HONG KONG WAS STILL FAR FROM ERADICATING THE DISEASE, AND THAT EFFORTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS SHOULD NOT BE RELAXED.

REFERRING TO LUNG CANCER, ANOTHER CHEST DISEASE REQUIRING PRIORITY ATTENTION AND MORE RESEARCH, DR THONG SAID THAT IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1983, 1 468 PEOPLE DIED OF LUNG CANCER.

+THE NUMBER WAS 1 456 IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1982, SHOWING THAT THE PROBLEM IS STILL INCREASING.+

+THE LINK OF CIGARETTE SMOKING TO BRONCHOGENIC CARCINOMA PARTICULARLY THE SQUAMOUS CELL TYPE, WAS STUDIED AND CONFIRMED IN HONG KONG,+ HE SAID,

ALTHOUGH THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S

ANTI-SMOKING CAMPAIGN MIGHT NOT BE GREAT OR SPECTACULAR, DR THONG FELT THAT IN THE LONG RUN, THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WERE EXPECTED TO BE REFLECTED IN A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE DYING FROM LUNG CANCER.

MORE TRAINING FACILITIES FOR MANAGERS NEEDED

*****

THERE IS A NEED TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND TRAINING FACILITIES FOR PRACTISING MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS IN ALL SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY, A SURVEY HAS SHOWN.

THE NEED IS PARTICULARLY MARKED AMONG THE SMALLER ENTERPRISES WHERE INTERNAL RESOURCES ARE GENERALLY LACKING, ACCORDING TO THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED SURVEY REPORT ON MANAGEMENT TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF OWNER-MANAGERS AND MANAGEMENT STAFF.

/THE SURVEY