ENG-1968 — Page 150

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Health

THE people of Hong Kong continued to enjoy, in the main, good health during the year 1968, and the Colony remained free from cholera and other quarantinable diseases for the second consecutive year. However during the months of July and August a widespread epidemic of influenza occurred causing considerable morbidity amongst all segments of the population. Although it was estimated that around 10 per cent of the population suffered an attack of influenza during the epidemic period the disease fortunately carried a low mortality and the number of deaths, mostly in the very young and in the older age groups, during the epidemic was 27. Notifica- tions of diphtheria and of malaria continued to decline while the incidence of poliomyelitis remained satisfactorily low. Measles incidence during the last two months of the year did not show the expected biennial rise, due, in part at least, to the immunization campaign.

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Utilization of the facilities offered at casualty departments con- tinued to rise during 1968 with an increasing proportion of cases being non-traumatic in origin. The trends established in recent years of decreasing numbers of domestic and industrial accidents whilst traffic accidents increase has continued. The mortality pattern remained one in which fewer deaths were due to communicable diseases and more resulted from the diseases of later life, predomin- antly cancer and cardiovascular conditions. Tuberculosis remained a major health problem, accounting for more sickness and deaths than all other forms of communicable disease combined.

During the year two new standard clinics and maternity homes were opened, the first at Castle Peak to serve the residents of the developing township and the second at Chai Wan to cater for an expanding resettlement area. Work on a five-phase alteration pro- gramme of the central building at Queen Mary Hospital continued throughout the year. The first three phases were completed and in use at the end of the year and the fourth was well under way. The

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