ENG-1983 — Page 129

92

HEALTH

The leading causes of death today are various forms of cancer, heart disease and cerebravascular diseases. The low infant mortality rate is attributed to the provision of comprehensive family health care facilities as well as improvements in environmental and socio-economic conditions.

Hong Kong remains free from quarantinable diseases. The common communicable childhood diseases, such as diphtheria, measles and poliomyelitis, have been adequately brought under control.

Four cases of animal rabies were reported during the year, with several human contacts given the necessary prophylatic treatment at medical centres. No cases in humans were reported. Preventive measures against rabies were once again stepped up, with a widening of the cordon area in the northern New Territories. The Medical and Health Department vaccinated 1 800 people bitten by animals during 1983.

An outbreak of rubella, affecting some schools, homes and offices, occurred in the early part of the year. Altogether 379 laboratory-confirmed cases were reported with 12 more cases of congenital rubella in children recorded. The rubella immunisation programme for girls aged 11 to 14, which has been conducted in schools since 1978, presently covers more than 95 per cent of girls in Primary 6 classes; the programme is also available to specific groups of women of child-bearing age.

Viral hepatitis remained prevalent with 1 783 notified cases and 28 deaths reported during the year. In view of the public health aspect of this disease and subsequent long term liver complications, particularly primary cancer of the liver, the Medical and Health Department's advisory committee on hepatitis B vaccination - following recommendations of the World Health Organisation - introduced a vaccination programme in April. The programme, initially on a limited scale, is progressively intended to cover health care workers who are at high risk of contracting the disease.

During the year, 24 indigenous cases of malaria were reported. These cases were mainly clustered around the border and Sai Kung areas of the New Territories. Since then the Medical and Health Department has stepped up its surveillance programme för the early detection of fresh malaria cases and its health educational and anti-malarial activities among villages and schools in these areas.

On request from the department, two consultants from the World Health Organisation visited Hong Kong in mid-December to make an initial appraisal of the local malaria situation. It is intended that they will conduct an in-depth study in early 1984 and advise on the anti-malaria measures that need to be adopted. In the year, a further 100 imported cases of malaria were also notified.

With a decrease in the number of Vietnamese refugees and illegal immigrants arriv- ing in Hong Kong, tuberculosis is again on the decline. Cases notified during the year numbered 7 301 with 446 deaths, representing an incidence rate of 137.41 per 100 000 and a mortality rate of 8.39 per 100 000. This is the lowest incidence rate recorded in Hong Kong and represents a 3.34 per cent decrease compared with the previous year. With BCG vaccination coverage maintained at almost 99 per cent of the newborn, tuberculosis among young children is uncommon.

Following reports from overseas on genital herpes, anxiety was felt mid-year concerning transmission locally. For a time the number of bathers at the beaches and in public swimming pools was dramatically reduced. However, after clarification by the health authority and subsequent publicity through the media informing the public of the mode of transmission, the scare subsided. The incidence of venereal diseases detected in the government's social hygiene clinics remained low, and no unusual increase in genital herpes cases was detected.