X1000306-1964-65_Part01 — Page 15

A Health Visitor ar work in a school in the New Territories.

49. Case finding continued at a high level, particularly in ante-natal cases where a positive serology rate of 1.8% was observed. Contact tracing, particularly of infectious syphilis, was intensified and the grati- fying figure of 70.6% success was recorded in this activity of the service.

Leprosy

50. New cases of leprosy treated numbered 271, representing a rate of 7.3 per 100,000 of population, which is almost identical with rates recorded in the previous four years but lower than the rate of 10.1 recorded in 1959. Tuberculoid manifestations predominated, the ratio of these to lepromatous cases being 1.7: 1.0. Of the infectious cases, 118 were admitted to the Hei Ling Chau Leprosarium maintained by the Hong Kong Auxiliary of the Mission to Lepers, with whom the Social Hygiene Service maintains close liaison.

51. During recent years there has been some advance in overcoming the prejudice against employment of cured lepers and, to this end, grcal attention is paid by the Service towards the prevention of disabilities in tuberculoid cases. A notable step was the enactment of the Leprosy (Repeal) Ordinance and the consequent addition of leprosy to the list of notifiable infectious diseases. The effects of this Ordinance and accompanying legislative measures, which are expected to be brought into force in June, 1965, are part of a world-wide appreciation of the fact that leprosy is no longer a disease calling for discriminatory measures against affected persons,

Dermatology

52. A significantly high incidence of systemic lupus erythematosus has been noticed in recent years and investigations into possible reasons are proceeding. Apart from pyoderma in infants during summer months, high incidences are also recorded of conditions arising from urtication and lichenification and also of functional disorders such as alopecia areata, vitaligo and neurodermatitis,

PORT HEALTH

53. The Por Health Administration continued its routine duties in respect of prevention of the introduction of quarantinable infectious diseases, the sanitary control of ports of entry, the provisions of the International Sanitary Regulations and a weekly exchange of epidemio- logical information with the World Health Organization.

The Health Visitor waves all revoir to the village mothers and their children.