medical practitioners were supplied with a supplement of the eighth revision, and were requested to ensure that the nomenclature of causes of death given by them on death certificates complied with those in the International Classification.
20. Use was made during the year of computer facilities in mortality statistics, and it is hoped that this will result in a better handling of mortality data.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (Tables 13-16)
21. The total of notifications of communicable diseases during 1971 was 11,410. Of this figure, tuberculosis comprised 79.1 per cent. Satisfactory progress continued to be made in the control of diphtheria and poliomyelitis. The incidence of bacillary dysentery continued its dowoward trend, but a slight increase in the incidence of enteric fever was noted, Trends in the occurrence of these four diseases are shown in Figure 3. The number of measles cases continued to remain low since the beginning of the annual anti-measles vaccination campaign in late 1967.
VA, DE VASGE PROBLEE
FIGURE 3
INCIDENCE OP MAJOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES 1957. 1971
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Cholera
22. Since the last reported case of cholera in October 1969, Hong Kong has remained free from the disease. The cholera surveillance programme was continued on a year-round basis. This included routine sampling of nightsoil for cholera vibrio, rouline bacteriological investiga- tion of speciments sent to the department's pathology laboratories of cases of gastro-enteritis, as well as the sampling of well water and of foodstuffs liable to be involved in the transmission of the vibrio. No positive samples were obtained from these investigations.
23. Unlike previous years, no mass immunisation campaign was carried out, but emphasis was placed on the importance of personal, environmental and food hygiene as safeguards, both against cholera and the other intestinal groups of communicable diseases. Strict quarantine restrictions were maintained in respect of countries declared infected.
Amoebiasis
24. This disease continued to occur endemically, being most prev- alent in overcrowded urban areas. A total of 66 cases was notified. The disease remained predominantly one affecting adult males.
Bacillary Dysentery
25. This disease showed a further decline in incidence, falling from 609 cases in 1970 to 543 cases in 1971. It affected all ages, but 40.1 per cent of the notifications were in respect of children under five. Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonoci remained the predominant or ganisms isolated.
26. Transmission of infection among families and în institutions was a feature of the disease, and as in the past, a few symptomless carriers were detected among members of the same family, or inmates of the same institution. In all, a total of 290 carriers were discovered during investigations of reported cases during the year. All were given appropriate treatment.
Chickenpox
27. This is generally a common disease among children. During the period under review, a total of 443 cases was notified, almost all being under 13. The seasonal prevalence of the disease being in the winter and spring, the earlier part of the year saw an increase in the number of notifications.
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