Report by Professor W.J. Simpson on sanitary matters in various West African colonies and the outbreak of plague in the Gold Coast.

  • Simpson, W. J. (William John), Sir, 1855-1931.
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report by Professor W.J. Simpson on sanitary matters in various West African colonies and the outbreak of plague in the Gold Coast. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    promptness. A Public Health Committee had been formed, and the meml)ers had been active in inspecting and taking measures for cleansing the town, removing the sick, isolating contacts, and demolishing infected houses and destroying rats. A few days before my arrival they had induced the Chief ]\Ianche Kojo Ababio and the people of the worst affected part of Jamestown to vacate their houses and encamp about two miles out of town. Some 200 families were thus removed from a congested and insanitary quarter of Accra. This measure had an excellent effect and Avas an important factor :n cheeking the disease at Accra. Deck passengers from Accra were also not permitted to be embarked on board any of the trading vessels. Additional Measures after taking over Control. (3) On my arrival I was appointed President of the Public Health Committee, and the following additional measures were put into force :— (1) A laboratory was established for diagnostic purposes of human and rat plague and for the preparation of rat virus. (2) Preventive inoculation by Haffkine's j^rophylactic was commenced at four inoculation stations. (3) A land cordon was formed round Accra, extending from the Sakum river on the west to the village of Ningo on the east, and bounded on the north by the villages of Naawam, Nsaki, and Taimang. No person who had slept within the municipal bound;u'ies of Accra within the pre- ceding fourteen days was allowed through this cordon without a passport bearing the impress of his or her thumb-mark and signed by a Government medical officer, stating that the bearer had been inoculated at least a week prior to the date of such passport. (4) The inoculation of all deck passengers and other natives leaving Accra by sea at least a week prior to their departure and the fumigation of their clothing and eifects. (5) The fumigation of parcel-post mails. (()) The supervision and inspection of all cargo shipped from Accra, and the finnigation of all sacks and coverings intended to contain cocoa and other produce. Later, in order that persons fleeing from an infected place to evade the precautions should not embark on board ship from another port and thus possibly convey the disease, especially the pneumonic form, to other ports on the Gold Coast or to neighbouring' colonies, British or foreign, no passengers were permitted to embark from a healthy ]iort unless they could prove residence in it for at least five days and unless the medical officer was satisfied by examinatiiMi that they Avere healthy. This effectually prevented strangers from embarking, and generally necessitated their inoculation before embnrkation. Extension of the disease 80 miles iccst of Accra, and the measures adopted. (4) Before the cordon had been established infected persons had escaped from Accra and infected a number of the villages at some considerable distance. The most important of these were Brewa, Annainaboe, and Nianyano. Annamal)oe and Nianyano had been infected liy sick persons from Accra, and Brewa by sick persons from Annamaboe. Brewa is only seven miles from Cape Coast Castle, Avhich is about 80 miles from Accra. The disease had therefore spread a considerable distance from its centre on the west, and there was imminent danger of Cape Coast Castle becoming infected. Ca]^e Coast is a larger town than Accra and has easy road conununications with the gold mining districts and Ashanti. The situation Avas therefore a most critical one, for with any serious infection of Cape Coast there would have been great risk of an enormous extension of the disease. A^iewing the matter from this standpoint, and having completed the organisation of plague measures in Accra, I decided, with the concurrence of His Excellency the Acting Governor, Major Bryan, to leave the execution of the local measures to the Public Health Committee in Accra, and to Dr. Haran, my assistant, and to start for Brewa and Annamaboe. 1 remained at both places with Air. Grimshaw, the Provincial Connnissioner, Dr. Lorena, the Medical Officer, and Lieutenant Stokes, the officer commanding the troops at Cape Coast Castle, until satisfied that the disease had been stamped out. At Annamaboe every assistance was given by the Chief, Amooney the Fifth. A land cordon was established round Brewa in order to prevent escape of anyone from the infected village. Inoculation of all the inhabitants was carried out and a (13003—2.) Wt. 2672—3t3. 1500. 7/09. D & S. A 2