ENG-1965 — Page 139

HEALTH

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are held weekly throughout the Colony solely for the diagnosis and treatment of leprosy. In addition, sessions are held at social hygiene centres in conjunction with the dermatology and venereal disease clinics. Immigrants from China, many of whom show severe deformities, make up a large proportion of new cases appear- ing at clinics. Surgical appliances can be fitted to those with limb deformities. Prejudices against employment or rehabilitation of cured leprosy patients are gradually but steadily disappearing and widespread publicity is leading to a more humane and progressive approach to the problem by the community.

The Hong Kong Auxiliary of the Mission to Lepers, with the aid of a government subvention, maintains 540 beds at the Hei Ling Chau Leprosarium to which infectious cases are admitted voluntarily. In addition a small number of patients requiring surgical reconstructive operations are accepted.

Malaria continues to be endemic but is restricted mainly to certain parts of the uncontrolled rural areas, the majority of cases during 1965 being reported from the Sai Kung District of the New Territories. The steady fall in the number of cases which has occurred over the last few years continued, only 143 notifications being recorded. The important carriers of malaria are Anopheles minimus, found breeding in hill stream seepages and irrigation ditches, and A. jeyporiensis var. candidiensis which breeds in rice cultivation, fallow rice fields, pools in rice stubble and water flowing through grass. Other anopheline species found in the Colony play little or no part in malaria transmission. Plasmodium vivax is the predominant parasite responsible for the infection.

Malaria control in the urban areas is based chiefly on anti-larval measures consisting of draining and cleaning streams, ditching and oiling. Anti-malaria oil continued to be employed as the main larvicide but malathion, diazinon or BHC were used on a limited scale in areas where the application of oil was not suitable. These anti-larval operations against anopheline breeding afford protection to approximately 80 per cent of the population. None of the few cases appearing in the urban areas during the year could be attribut- ed to breakdown of these control measures. In the remainder of the New Territories where the background is essentially rural the adoption of either anti-larval or anti-adult measures is not feasible at present and chemoprophylaxis remains the main protection.