Annual report of the Public Health Department / Zanzibar Protectorate.

  • Zanzibar. Public Health Department.
Date:
[1917]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Public Health Department / Zanzibar Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/50 (page 13)
    Further levelling of the Polo ground was completed. These latter works connected with swamp drainage have been carried out by the Public Works Department. DISTRICT SANITATION—ZANZIBAR. MKOKOTONI DISTRICT. The station at Mkokotoni has a bad reputation for Malaria and throughout the year Anopheles mosquitoes in greater or lesser num¬ bers may be found. Breeding places have been found even in the dry season in a stream at the back of the Gaol and during the rains in a smaller temporary stream between the latter and the Gaol and in the low-lying land behind the Clerks’ Quarters. Extensive drainage works would be necessary here to eliminate Anopheles and a larger expenditure than the present importance of the station would seem to justify. Considerable improvement has resulted from clearing thick bush and felling a number of large mango trees which was carried out during the year. CHWAKA. The chief importance at present of the station at Chwaka, which during the year has been administered from town, is as a health resort where a large number of officials and others spend their short leave. An inspection of the various bungalows made in April as the result of complaints as to the prevelance of mosquitoes reveal¬ ed a considerable number of adult anopheles in certain of the houses which were in occupation and several breeding places of Culex and Stegomyia. The actual breeding places of the anopheles were not determined owing to the dense bush extending right up to the houses and making an inspection impossible. A general clean up of the station and the adjoining town was at once undertaken and the bush was cleared back for some 50 yards. The results were satisfactory and there have been no further complaints. MWERA. This station is also administered from the town. It has a notor¬ iously evil malaria reputation, the river which meanders through the district between irregular banks merging into swamps being heavily infested with anopheles. Extensive anti-malarial measures will be necessary here before any improvement cam be expected. BUBUBU. This small township consists principally of a row of small shops on each side of the main road with a market of some importance. The staff here consists of three sweepers under the supervision of the sergeant of police and weekly visits from one of the town inspectors. Here as elsewhere the Indian shopkeeper soon manages to collect round him all sorts of filth and rubbish unless checked. He might well take lessons in cleanliness from his humbler and less educated Swahili neighbour.