ENG-1954 — Page 136

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1954

Tuberculosis has been fought by B.C.G. vaccination and improved clinical services; the pneumonias and gastro-enteritis in childhood by further expansion of the Maternal and Child Health Services, assisted by certain voluntary organizations. The enteric diseases and dysenteries have been combatted by intensive pro- paganda, vaccination and an attempt to improve by education, kitchen and service handling of food served to the public in restaurants, cafes and food-stalls. Diphtheria, the incidence of which has been steadily increasing year by year, has been the subject of an intensive propaganda and immunization campaign assisted by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. The results are encouraging.

A feature of the year has been the appearance of a health problem created by the rapid industrialization of the New Territories. At Tsun Wan, in particular, factories have been built without adequate accommoda- tion for the workers, who live in insanitary squatter huts near the factories. However, the statistics for 1954 indicate that public health has been satisfactory and for this much credit must be given to the Urban Services Department.

Infectious and Communicable Diseases

Enteric Fever. The high incidence of this disease in 1954 was disturbing. In spite of an intensive inocu- lation campaign in which, for each of the last two years, about a quarter of a million persons have had first doses and a little under 100,000 have had second doses, there were 1,099 cases with 83 deaths in 1954. On the other hand, the case fatality rate is now only

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