Malaria.
77. Notifications showed a decrease of 230 from 1,010 in 1952 to 780 in 1953. The number of deaths attributed to malaria was 46, the same as in the previous year. Approxi- mately 30% of the total cases were reported as being recur- rences of the infection.
Leprosy.
78. The leprosarium on the island of Hay Ling Chau functioned very satisfactorily throughout the year and steady progress was made with the development of accommodation and of the island's resources, A very fine medical treatment centre was completed and formally opened towards the end of the period under review.
79. At the beginning of the year the population of the settlement was 300, a figure which was increased to 350 at the end of the year. However the settlement has not as yet com- pletely answered the Colony's leprosy problem as there are still considerable numbers of infectious lepers at large in the Colony. Many of these are attending out-patient clinies which are run specially for them but there is little doubt that these persons could be dealt with more satisfactorily in the settlement, and it is planned that as accommodation on Hay Ling Chau increases Infectious cavea will be transferred to the Island.
80. The settlement which is operated by the Hong Kong Auxiliary of the China Mission to Lepers is a most useful addition to the Colony's medical facilities. During the year the Mission received a aubvention from Government amounting to $250,000 towards recurrent costs of the institution and, in addition, a special grant of $200,000 was made towards the capital cost of the medical centre.
Tuberculosis.
81. During the year there were 11,900 notifications and 2,939 deaths from all forma of tuberculosis. These figures are substantially less than those of the previous year when 14,821
EXU
cases with 3,573 deaths were reported. The case fatality rate for the year was 24.7% as compared with 24.1% in 1952 and 30.2% in 1951.
82. In the following Table are set forth details of the six leading causes of death from communicable diseases:
TABLE $
Слики
Diseases
Total
Theathe
Fatality
rate
Chinese Non-Chinese|
11854
16
11900
3039
24.70%
1413
21
1434
128
8.93%
APARILMAJO
1109
1115
199
11.92%
PORTATION NOKI
507
154
661
50
7.14%
730
50
780
5.90%
$91
6*7
661
25
3.70%
1. Tuberculoris 1. Enteric fever 3. Diphtherin 4. Meaulen 5. Malaria
6. Bac. DymntoFY
Port Health Administration
83. The Senior Port Health Officer is responsible for health control in the harbour and at the airport and, to assist him, he has a staff consisting of 2 Health Officers, 6 Assistant Health Officers, 1 Senior Port Health Inspector, 2 Port Health Inspectors, 39 Public Vaccinators, and 1 Fumigator. This staff in addition, is responsible for the quarantine control measures at the land frontier with China where the Kowloon-Canton Railway crosses the international boundary. Further, an inoculation service is provided for persons requiring inter- national health travel documents and this staff also provides a general inoculation service to the population as a whole.
84. The work of this sub-department shows a general increase during the year as the number of vessels entering the port was somewhat larger than in the previous year and in consequence the numbers of passengers and crew dealt with were also greater. In addition, a substantially greater number of persons entered the Colony across its land frontier.
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