Annual report of the Public Health Department / Zanzibar Protectorate.

  • Zanzibar. Public Health Department.
Date:
[1920]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    25/52 (page 25)
    Mosquito Preventive Measures.—The town is divided into areas, and the Mosquito Inspector in charge of each area visits every house weekly. Amongst the intelligent and educated people their visit is welcomed, and much is done to reduce the number of breeding-places of mosquitoes. Unfortunately there is a good deal of apathy and passive resistance amongst the less-informed classes which the Inspectors are not always able by themselves to overcome. Their authority should be backed by visits from the Medical Officer of Health, and, as mentioned in last year's report, a survey of each house should be made. It is difficult, however, for the Medical Officer of Health, owing to the various calls on his time, to undertake this. PART II.—PREVALENCE OE CERTAIN COMMUNICABLE DISEASES. The Protectorate was free from any serious outbreak of infec¬ tious diseases during the year. There was a slight recrudescence of influenza in the last two months of the year, fortunately of a mild type. Influenza.—There was one death due to influenza during the year as compared to 13 last year. CerebroSpinal Meningitis.—One case, a Shihiri employed by the African Wharfage Co. He was removed to Gulioni Infectious Diseases Hospital, where he died. Dysentery.—Nine deaths were reported as compared to 14 deaths last year. Plague.—No cases. 11,863 rats were examined. In four suspicious cases sub-inoculation in healthy rats proved negative. Tetanus.—Two deaths were reported during the year against one in 1919. Tuberculosis.—Forty-one deaths were reported by qualified practitioners and 84 by unqualified persons due to Pulmonary Tuberculosis as against 37 and 110 respectively for 1919. Small-Pox.—Seven cases were reported during the year with one death as compared to four cases and one death last year. Five of these were imported, one from Suez, who died, and four from Bombay. Of the other two, one occurred amongst the crew of a dhow from the Persian Gulf, and the other in an Arab in the town. Cases and contacts were removed to Gulioni Hospital, and no further cases developed.