ENG-1959 — Page 183

150

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

valid international certificates were vaccinated and placed under surveillance.

Quarantine facilities both for ships and aircraft were expanded during the year and ships arriving in Kowloon Bay are now in- spected up to half an hour before midnight. This has involved clearing an average of 105 ships each month between sunset and 11.30 p.m. The night landing service at Kai Tak Airport was inaugurated in July and the medical inspection hours extended to midnight with emergency facilities thereafter if required. The comparative volume of work was:

Incoming ships

Passengers Crew

Unberthed emigrants

1958

1959

6,402

59,879 281,377

6,430

6,930

65,974 293,288

7,154

Air passengers from infected

areas

47,010

36,110

Rodent control was maintained in the dock and airport areas and ships were inspected on arrival to determine the degree of rat infestation on board. Returns of rats destroyed and of bacterio- logical examinations for plague were submitted weekly to the In- telligence Station at Singapore. International deratting certificates were issued to 74 ships after fumigation and deratting exemption certificates to 139 ships after inspection.

The Aedes aegypti index was maintained at zero throughout the year in the seaport and airport areas. Regular control measures exist in the perimeter of the airport and in the harbour, particular attention being paid to junks and sampans using the typhoon shelters.

Inspection of dock hydrants and water boats is carried out each week and samples of water are taken for bacteriological exami- nation. Of 428 samples taken 47 were not up to standard and remedial action was instituted immediately to deal with the un- satisfactory sources. Forty eight samples of water from ships were taken on request, of which 12 were below standard.

Three inoculation centres are maintained for the issue of Inter- national Certificates of vaccination to persons making international journeys. These centres also give free vaccination on request to members of the public.

Medical advice to ships at sea travelling without doctors aboard was given by radio on 22 occasions.