Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1931]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/36 (page 11)
    Hymenolepis nana—the dwarf tape wTorm of man—was found to be widely distributed throughout the country, hut its actual incidence was low. In some of the eastern districts of the Colony Ascans lumbncoides rivals hookworm in importance. Amongst indigenous natives of the Melsetter district, for example, Ascaris reached an incidence of 12.1 per cent., while at one kraal in the Ingorima Reserve 80 per cent, of the population harboured the parasite. The relatively high incidence of Ternidens deminutus as a parasite of man in Southern Rhodesia is a matter of considerable interest, but further investiga¬ tions are necessary before the pathogenicity of the parasite can be assessed. Other helminthic parasites found in man in Southern Rhodesia were Enterobius vermiculans, Trichuris trichiura, Stronyy loid.es spp. and certain filaria worms. These parasites, however, constitute the minor helminthic infes¬ tations of the Colony. Some rare helminths of academic interest were also found. (5) Small-pox. Only 43 cases of small-pox, all natives, with one death, were recorded in the Colony during the year as against G97 cases in 1930. The table given below gives the incidence of this disease during the last twelve years. Small-pox Cases, 1920-31. Year. European. Native. Total. 1920 . 448 448 1921 . . 1 514 515 1922 . . 1 503 504 1923 . . . 16 16 1924 . . . 2 9 hJ 1925 . . 2 10 12 1926 . — 1 1 1927 . — 6 6 1928 . . 1 254 255 1929 . . 2 425 427 1930 . . 3 694 697 1931 . — 43 43 It will be seen from the table that small-pox tends to occur in the Colony in large epidemic waves, involving many hundreds of cases and causing much disturbance and expense before they are overcome. This is not surprising when one views the fact that there are on the borders of Southern Rhodesia countries containing large numbers of natives and few Europeans where the disease appears to be continuously endemic. For example, in one area which supplies many immigrants into Southern Rhodesia there were recorded 7,381 cases with 237 deaths in 1931. In view of these facts, it is apparent that the only policy which will keep the Colony free from this highly dangerous and infectious disease is the policy which has kept other countries free from it, namely, to maintain a community well protected by vaccination. This is by no means an insuperable task in an area whose population is a little over a million persons. At present the high price of imported lymph renders this course an impossibility. The erection of the proposed Government Lymph Station has been unavoidably postponed for financial reasons, but it is hoped that this scheme will be carried into effect before long. For reasons of economy, and owing to the almost complete absence of small¬ pox from the Colony, very little vaccinating was done during the year. The cost of lymph purchased was £760 3s. (6) Tuberculosis. There were 14 European deaths from tuberculosis as against 19 in the previous year, while 52 new cases were admitted to the Government hospitals, as against 47 in 1930. Apart from the fact that the absence of bovine tuberculosis from Southern Rhodesia diminishes the risk of infection as compared with older countries where tuberculosis affects 25 per cent, of milk cows, there is much to suereest that the climate of Southern Rhodesia is a healthv one as far as tuberculosis is concerned.