ENG-1960 — Page 168

HEALTH

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the pandemic of 1957, did not give rise to concern during 1960. Only one case of puerperal fever was reported.

HEALTH SERVICES

Port Health. The Port Health Service is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the International Sanitary Regulations, 1951, as embodied in the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance; for correlating and disseminating epidemiological information on communicable notifiable diseases; and for supervising immuniza- tion campaigns against smallpox, enteric fever and diphtheria. The service also gives medical advice by radio to ships at sea, and maintains four vaccination centres for the issue of Interna- tional

Certificates of Vaccination to people travelling abroad.

A regular exchange of epidemiological information is maintained with the World Health Organization Epidemiological Intelligence Station in Singapore and with ports and airports in other countries. Medical inspections are carried out of persons arriving by train, sea and air at the respective quarantine stations as circumstances may warrant, and quarantine measures are enforced against passengers from ports and airports infected with smallpox and cholera.

Sanitary control of the seaport and the airport areas is also the responsibility of the Port Health Service. These areas were kept free from Aedes aegypti throughout the year, and regular supervision was continued of the purity of water supplied by dock hydrants and water boats. The Port Health Staff inspects ships to judge the degree of rat infestation; international deratting certificates were issued to 92 ships after fumigation, and deratting exemption certificates to 160 ships after inspection. The dock area and airport are included in the rodent control scheme for the Colony and the Epidemiological Intelligence Station in Singapore receives returns of rats destroyed and of bacteriological examina- tions for plague every week.

Maternal and Child Health. Institutional midwifery is predomi- nant because of very overcrowded home conditions. Approximately half the births in the Colony take place in the maternity wards of hospitals; 42% take place in maternity homes maintained by