ENG-1961 — Page 192

HEALTH

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handbills. House inspection by blocks is carried out on five mornings a week and public co-operation has been good.

As a special campaign against indiscriminate spitting in public places, two anti-spitting patrol units on each side of the harbour, each composed of one Health Inspector in uniform and another in plain clothes, carried out operations in allotted areas twice a week.

The major work of the District Health Inspectors is the super- vision of premises or trades licensed by the Urban Council, par- ticularly those dealing in the sale of food for human consumption. Regular inspections were made by these officers for the purpose of maintaining a proper standard of hygiene.

In order to improve control over the hygienic condition of stalls selling cooked food, supervision was transferred during the year from the Hawkers Section to Health Districts.

Regular sampling and inspection of food was undertaken by three Food Inspectors in Hong Kong and three in Kowloon. Close watch was kept on ice-cream factories, milk factories, milk shops and similar establishments to ensure that standards were main- tained.

With a view to streamlining departmental procedure and impro- ving efficiency, the Health Districts also took over anti-mosquito work from the Pest Control Section. Consequently, at the beginning of August, the field staff which was formerly a component of the Pest Control Section became the responsibility of the District Health Inspectors.

All District Health Staff were immediately mobilized to assist in controlling the outbreak of cholera which occurred in mid-August. Wells and other private supplies of drinking water were chlo- rinated, swimming pools were checked and anti-fly measures were undertaken.

Further efforts were made to encourage health consciousness through the medium of 'Miss Ping On' campaigns. Four campaigns, each lasting three months, were held, and the themes were 'Keep Your Food Pure', 'Typhoid and Other Intestinal Diseases', 'Take Care of Yourself', and 'Respiratory Diseases'. 'Miss Ping On' denotes a female figure, derived from the Chinese characters for 'Safety', and is depicted on all health posters.