ENG-1962 — Page 188

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HEALTH

taken from all children found with febrile conditions at Govern- ment clinics in the New Territories and positive cases were followed up for treatment. Mosquito dissection was carried out for entomo- logical purposes. Of 1,082 A. minimus and A. jeyporiensis var. candidiensis and of 152 other possible vectors examined, none was found with sporozoites.

Diphtheria. Due to the rapidly increasing number of young children and the poor response to the facilities for immunization, there has been little significant decline in the incidence of diphtheria during recent years. The main foci of the disease are in the densely populated tenement areas of Kowloon and New Kowloon. Over 75 per cent of the cases were in children under the age of 10, with more than 50 per cent under the age of five. The case fatality rate from_diphtheria has shown a continuing decline during recent years, being 10 per cent during 1962 compared with 10.5 per cent in 1956.

In previous years an intensive immunization campaign was held during the cooler months between September and February. In 1962, except for the period of the cholera outbreak, the campaign was continued throughout the year, with emphasis on inoculation facilities being made available as near as possible to the home. House-to-house visits were conducted for the greater part of the year in resettlement estates and other crowded areas, and teams of inoculators visited squatters both on hillsides and on rooftops. Continuous use was made of publicity media to stress the dangers of the disease and to inform parents of the facilities available for the protection of their children. Despite this there are still a great many children under 10 who have, as yet, no protection against the disease.

Enteric Fever. The trend followed the pattern of the past, with the greatest incidence in the third quarter of the year. The highest monthly peak was in July. Although no mass anti-typhoid cam- paign was organized during the year free inoculation at all Govern- ment clinics and vaccination centres continued to be available to all on request. The usual control measures were enforced, including supervision of restaurants and eating houses and the education of the public in matters of personal hygiene and general sanitation. Special attention was paid to food handlers.