74. Appendix 6 sets forth details of protective inoculations and vaccinations carried out during the year.
Port Health Administration
75. The port was free from any quarantinable diseases during the year under review, with the exception of 2 imported cases and one local case of smallpox.
76. Constant vigilance was exercised by Port Health Officers to prevent the introduction of plague into the Colony. Vessels from the mainland and plague infected ports were care- fully inspected and all cargo of such a nature as would attract and harbour rodents and fleas was disinsected or deratted as was found to be necessary.
77. In fifty-two ships incoming cargo was inspected before unloading, and 3,703 bales of duck leathers and human hair were disinsected during the year.
78. The number of vessels dealt with during the year was 3,268 and the numbers of passengers and crew were 44,710 and 186,940 respectively. The corresponding figures for the previous year were 3,742, 82,816 and 191,838.
79. Due to travel restrictions, the number of persons who were inspected entering the Colony by its laud frontier decreased to 163,695 as compared with 523,456 for 1951 and 1,452,698 for 1950.
80. The Port Health Office continued to maintain very close liaison with the Epidemiological Intelligence Station, W.H.O., Singapore, throughout the year. Weekly telegrams reporting firstly, the health of the Port, and secondly, the restrictions imposed or withdrawn against other countries, were sent to W.ELO.
81. The inspection of unberthed deck passengers travelling as emigrants was continued. Due to more rigid restrictions imposed against travellers by most imigrant ports, and the limited number of contracted labour permitted, the total number of emigrants for the year was 5,276 as against 13,487 for 1951.
16
82. Bills of Health were still being sought by ship masters although most ports have, on the repeated recommendation of the W.H.0. abolished this requirement. The number of such documents issued during the year was 2,957 as compared with 2,769 during 1951.
83. All passengers and crew of arriving aircraft were medically inspected, and the International Civil Aviation Organization's recommendation regarding the routine spraying of aircraft before arrival was insisted upon.
84. There was a great decrease in the number of pas- sengers examined, only 18,992 being dealt with as compared with 32,669 in 1951.
Social Hygiene
85. The anti-venereal disease organization is operated by the Senior Social Hygiene Officer who has to assist him, 5 medical officers and 25 other technical staff. Five clinics were operated, 2 in Kowloon and 3 on Hong Kong Island and, in addition, a small hospital with 28 beds was maintained for female cases.
Six beds for acute male cases were also available
to the Senior Social Hygiene Officer in the Queen Mary Hospital.
86. A close link was kept with ante-natal infant welfare and maternity services. In June, a new service for pregnant women, referred to the Social Hygiene Clinics by private mid- wives, was provided. Pregnant women desiring a blood test are given priority at the Clinics. Under the scheme 3,263 specimens were taken, out of which 91 were positive, giving a rate of 2.7%. Any pregnant woman found to have a positive test and who did not return for treatment was carefully and confiden- tially followed up. Routine pregnant blood tests were taken in all clinics and institutions. There was a total of 18,960 tests with a percentage positive rate of 3.3%.
87. The number of new cases dealt with was 28,565, of which 8,878 were females. The number of new cases in the previous year was 17.934, Total attendances during the year were 149,237 and 1,106 female patients were admitted to hospital.
17
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.