XN000022-1992-06-26 — Page 28

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NEW TB CASES ON DECLINE

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1992

THE NUMBER OF NEW TUBERCULOSIS (TB) CASES IN HONG CONTINUES TO DROP OVER THE PAST YEAR, THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, DR LEE, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY),

KONG

S.H.

KONG

SPEAKING IN HIS CAPACITY AS PRESIDENT OF THE HONG TUBERCULOSIS, CHEST AND HEART DISEASES ASSOCIATION AT ITS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, HE SAID THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 6,283 NEW TB CASES LAST YEAR WITH A NOTIFICATION RATE OF 109.2 PER 100,000 POPULATION, COMPARED WITH 6,510 CASES AND A NOTIFICATION RATE OF 114.1 IN 1990.

DR LEE SAID A TOTAL OF 409 TB DEATHS WERE REPORTED LAST YEAR, GIVING A RATE OF 7.1 PER 100,000 POPULATION.

TB MORTALITY VARIED SLIGHTLY BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN COMPARED WITH 382 DEATHS AND A RATE OF 6.7 PER 100,000 POPULATION IN 1990.

DURING THE PAST YEAR, DR LEE SAID 281 VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS WERE FOUND TO HAVE ACTIVE TB AND TREATED.

AS THE INFLUX OF VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS APPEARED TO HAVE STOPPED, DR LEE HOPED THAT THE IMPACT ON THE TB SITUATION BY THEM WOULD SOON BE GONE.

"CONSIDERABLE ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST TB, BUT OUR EFFORTS MUST CONTINUE IF WE ARE TO BRING THE TB SITUATION IN HONG KONG TO A STAGE OF NEAR ERADICATION," HE ADDED.

IN MANY (HIV/TB)

"THE IMPACT OF HIV INFECTION ON TB CONTROL PROGRAMME COUNTRIES AND THE RISING NUMBER OT TB CASES AMONG THE DUALLY INFECTED PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES, AFRICA AND SOME ASIAN COUNTRIES RECEIVE INCREASING ATTENTION," DR LEE SAID.

"FORTUNATELY, HONG KONG HAS NOT BEEN FACING SUCH A SERIOUS

PROBLEM."

HE SAID TWO SURVEYS HAD BEEN CONDUCTED ON 485 TB IN-PATIENTS AND 905 TB OUT-PATIENTS LAST YEAR WITH NO POSITIVE CASES DETECTED.

"HOWEVER, ALL PREVENTIVE AND CONTROL MEASURES CERTAINLY TO BE MAINTAINED, AND IF NECESSARY, REINFORCED, HE SAID.

HAVE

ON LUNG CANCER DEATHS, DR LEE SAID THE FIGURE DROPPED SLIGHTLY FROM 2,638 IN 1990 TO 2,597 LAST YEAR.

FT

"THIS UP AND DOWN TREND IS LIKELY TO OCCUR FOR A WHILE BEFORE THE FIGHT AGAINST CIGARETTE SMOKING BECOMES MORE SUCCESSFUL, HE ADDED.

TURNING TO OCCUPATIONAL LUNG DISEASES, DR LEE SAID 118 CASES OF SILICOSIS AND ONE CASE OF ASBESTOSIS WERE ASSESSED, REPORTED COMPENSATED.

AND

/SO FAR,