138
No. of rats caught and brought to the mortuaries No. of rats examined
101,096
101,096
No. of rats spleen smears taken for examination No. of rats infected with plague
12,079 Nil.
ANNEXURE M.
ANNUAL REPORT OF MALARIA BUREAU.
Notification of Malaria,
The arrangement by which Malaria was notified voluntarily by doctors ceused in May 1948 and as a result accurate figures are no longer available,
Staff.
The staff of the Malaria Buraan was minde up of 1 Malariologist, 5 grade I Inspectors, 2 grade II Inspectora, 3 Probationer In- spactors and 2 Health Inspectors who were seconded to the Burean in March, 1948. Dr. J. B. Mackie departed to attend the 4th International Congresses ou Tropical Medicine and Maluria at Washington a a Government Observer in April 1948. Ile returned to the Colony on December 11tb, 1048. During his absence Dr. G. B. Smart was in charge of the Malaria Bureau.
Field Work.
Hough training of streauns, stone drainage, «learing, subwoil drainage, and oiling wore the methods used. In addition a cheap experimental form of rough concrete training was carried out in the Deep Water Bay Valley, and if this proves successful, it may be possible to extend it to other areas.
The R.A.F. have withdrawn their field work at the Airport un instruction from British Government, and the complete control of this district bus been taken over by the Malaria Huresu,
Owing to the extensive excavation of land and large increase in building in all areas, routrol work was made more difficult, but no breakdown occurred. In addition to these larval control measures the Chinese villages of Sai Wan, Pokfulam, Telegraph Bay and Ngau Chi Wan, on the outskirts of our control area, were residually sprayed with D.D.T.
Malarial Surveys.
No malarial surveys were undertaken during the year, but checking larval surveys were periodically carried out in all aress, In addition periodic checks of incoming trains, lorries and aircraft were carried out.
130
Laboratory.
In the present office of Malaria Bureau it has not been possible to put up a good insectary on account of the heat, but with the removal to a cooler level this will be done. Blood films as well as mosquito larvae and adults were examined, and the results of the examination are appended. The Identification of beetles, motha and flies was undertaken for other Departments. The results of identification of mosquitoes and larvas can be seen in Annexures M2 and M3.
New Territories.
All
Work continued to increase in the New Territories. Government Quarters and offices were aprayed with DDT. Un- fortunately for the occupants in some cases, full advantage could not be taken of this measure on account of the poor state of the screening, or in some places, its complete absence.
Suppressive Paludrine (100 Mgu, twice weekly) for the second year again proved its efficiency in the protection of the European and Chinese Police, who are, of necessity in their work, exposed to considerable risk. So much so, that the Chinese Police on Government Mepacrine, in some places, changed over to Paludrine at their own expense.
Both as
a suppressive and from au administrative point of view Paludrine is superior to Mepacrine. With the southward advance of the Communists there was an inaux of non-immunes, both European and Chinese, into the New Territories. Notably the American Seventh Adventist Mission who moved down two whole schools and their entire European and Chinese Stalt. A completa blood parasite survey of these schools (some 500 people) was undertaken, and as expected coming from the north, were negative for Malaria.
Advice, which they have been quick to take, has been given them on the best methods of screening their buildings which of Decessity were takesnatt, and on the use of residual Gammexane and suppressive Paludrime,
A further influx has come in the Taun Wan area where large number of factories have been built. Malaria in these work people has been controlled with suppressive Patudrine, and au endeavour has been wade to obtain the co-operation of tue owners in a combined housing scheme for the labour force which would be reasonably cheap to protect by anti-lurval measurem.
Residual DDT and Gamesaus have been proved ulost effective in reducing the mosquito catches in houses in the rural districts, but their ruture us a preventive measure in rural tualuria depends on their ultimate effect on the blood parasite rate and the incidence of malaria, and in this respect much more work has to be undertaken in each malarious area of the world to determine the night-resting and feeding habits of the carrying species. LTL thus connection experiments in mosquito trapping in selected malarious districts in the New Territories to determine the babite of our local carrying species are now being undertaken-this work will take some time,
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