123. Three Port Health Vaccination Centres were maintained, two on Hong Kong Island and one in Kowloon, for the convenience of persons requiring certificates for international travel. They also provided the free prophylactic vaccinations to members of the public. 18,547 certificates issued by private medical practitioners were authenticated by Port Health Officers.
124. Regular inspections for the presence of mosquito larvae were carried out on small craft in the harbour. Mosquito breeding was negligible and no Aedes aegypti larvae were found on any of the 4,871 junks inspected during the year, 2,015 inspections of other vessels and of wharves and piers were also undertaken.
125. The dock area and airport are included in the rodent control scheme for the Colony. Returns of rodents destroyed and of bacteri- ological examinations carried out were submitted weekly to the W.H.O. Epidemiological Intelligence Station, Singapore.
126. A constant check was maintained on the purity of drinking water supplied to ships. Bacteriological examination of weekly samples from water boats and dock hydrants continued and immediate remedial action was taken when and where necessary by the Water Authority or the Port Health Office. A total of 445 samples were taken from water boats and dock hydrants and were submitted to the Pathology Institute for bacteriological examination; sixty two samples did not conform to the standard of purity. On request, 106 samples of water were taken from ships; of these thirty eight were sub-standard,
127. A weekly exchange of epidemiological information was main- tained with the WH.O. Epidemiological Intelligence Station, Singapore, and copies of reports were forwarded for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies,
128. During 1957, sixteen ships at sea called 'Porthealth Hong Kong for advice on the treatment of sick persons on board, and nineteen ships were given medical assistance while in port. Direct action was taken to deal with ninety nine sanitary nuisances found on board vessels using the port.
TUBERCULOSIS
The trend of morbidity and mortality in Hong Kong-1957
129. Despite intensive building in all parts of the Colony during the present year, the continued increase of the population has been sufficient to leave the overcrowding problem substantially unaffected. It is
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therefore not without some degree of satisfaction that it has been found possible to record a continuation in the downward trend of the mortality from tuberculosis.
Year
of tuberculosi dearks below
TABLE 6
Estimated Population
Death-rate per 100,dida
TUBERCULOSIS
Percentage of raval dearls
5 years
1948.
1.800.000
109-9
14-6
19449
1,857,000
140-6
16-0
3+4-0
1950
2,265,000
144-0
17-7
383
1951
2,013,000
208-0
20-0
34:0
1952
2,250,000
158-8
18-4
34:3
1953
2,250,000
130-6
16-0
36-2
1,277,000
126-3
149
312
2,340,000
120-0
14-7
25.0
2.440,000
50740
13-6
15:0
2,383,000
103-6
13-9
212
1934 1953 1956 1957
130.
Examination of the monthly statistics during the year has shown that there was a sharp rise in the number of deaths ascribed to tuberculosis during the months of April and May. The rise was as much as one hundred per cent above the average monthly totals for the year, and it corresponded with the influenza epidemic. Investigation at the time showed that most of these deaths had been certified at Public Mortuaries, but whether or not they represent a true increase in tuberculosis mortality is a matter for conjecture. Apart from these increases however, there has been a definite rise in the number of deaths from tuberculosis among adults, most marked in the 55-59 age group, but more than compensated for by a fall in the number of deaths in children. Deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis among children under the age of 5 years recorded in each of the past four years have been. 293, 159, 139, and 116 respectively, despite the steadily increasing number of children at risk in each successive year. Deaths from Tubercular Meningitis and Tuberculosis (other forms) have each fallen by 17% from last year's figure which was in itself a record low total. It therefore appears that acute progressive primary and post primary tuberculosis, particularly in children, is either less prevalent or less lethal. It is difficult to ascribe this improvement to any one particular cause. However, it is believed that the combined effects of chemotherapy. which is so effective in this age group, allied with the increasing scope of B.C.G. vaccination in newborn children, which is also stated to be effective against this particular type of disease, must have played some part in this significant change in the mortality figures.
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