ENG-1958 — Page 164

134

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

The following table shows in detail all cases and deaths reported from Poliomyelitis according to age:

Age (years)

Under 1 year

Aged 1 year ...

Aged 2 years

Aged 3 years

Aged 4 years

5-9 years

10 - 14 years

15 - 19 years

20 years and over

Total

No. of Cases

No. of Deaths

69

18

99

11

29

1

25

4

11

1

12

3

5

2

10

3

262

41

Diphtheria. Diphtheria continued to occur throughout the year and, as previously, showed a marked seasonal rise in the winter months. During 1958 notifications were received of 1,555 cases and 134 deaths, giving a case mortality of 8.6% compared to that of 10.4% in 1957.

The great majority of cases was reported amongst children of pre-school-age who had not been fully immunized against the disease.

Free prophylactic inoculation was carried on throughout the year, particularly in the Maternal and Child Health Centres. An intensified campaign was undertaken in the autumn before the start of the season when a higher incidence of the infection is to be expected.

!

A total of 109,336 first doses, 90,396 second doses and 42,330 'booster' doses of diphtheria toxoid were given. Twenty nine carriers of the disease were discovered and treated during 1958.

Enteric fever. Typhoid and paratyphoid fever continued to be mildly endemic throughout the year and the incidence showed no seasonal rise during the hotter months. Notifications numbered 816 with 34 deaths. The case mortality continues to fall with the use of modern antibiotic drugs and was 4.2% this year compared with 4.5% in 1957 and 6.1% in 1956. Nearly half the reported cases occurred in children between 5 and 14 years of age.

As in the past, free anti-typhoid immunizations (TAB) were available to the general public throughout the year. The