ENG-1965 — Page 132

HEALTH

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to Lepers Hong Kong Auxiliary, the Pok Oi Hospital and other organizations. These total $41,534,200. The combined estimated expenditure of the Medical and Health Department and medical subventions represents 8.62 per cent of the Colony's total estimated expenditure of $1,711,408,040. Estimated capital expenditure for the Medical and Health Department is $23,524,700.

There are five statutory bodies dealing with the registration of medical practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, and midwives. The Hong Kong Medical Council is responsible for the registration of medical practitioners and has disciplinary responsibilities under the Medical Registration Ordinance 1957; it is not an examining body. The Dental Council, Pharmacy Board, Nurses Board and Midwives Board all maintain registers, regulate training, hold examinations leading to registration or enrolment and have dis- ciplinary powers.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

For the first time in five years there was no appearance of cholera in the Colony. In view of the continuing incidence of the disease in nearby countries, however, special preventive measures were taken throughout the year and strict quarantine restrictions were maintained in respect of various neighbouring countries declared infected. Bacteriological investigation was carried out of all specimens sent to government laboratories from cases of gastro- enteritis and there was daily sampling of nightsoil and routine sampling of seawater, well water and foodstuffs liable to be sources of transmission of the vibrio. All such samples proved to be negative and there was not a single isolation of the cholera organism. A mass immunization campaign against cholera started in April and by the end of the year a total of 1,603,875 inoculations had been given.

In spite of continuing satisfactory progress, tuberculosis remains Hong Kong's principal community health problem. Many thou- sands of unselected examinations carried out each year show that approximately 1 per cent to 2 per cent of the adult population is in need of treatment for the disease, with a smaller percentage of active tuberculosis occurring below the age of 15. There is ample evidence that tuberculosis in infancy and early childhood is now