Annual medical and sanitary report / Swaziland.

  • Swaziland. Medical Department.
Date:
[1953]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical and sanitary report / Swaziland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/100 (page 5)
    - 5 - (II) Communicable Diseases. (i) Malaria. Following a period of drought, heavy rains occurred throughout the territory during the last quarter of 1952, and conditions became exceptionally favourable for the breeding of A. gambiae early in the transmission season. It soon became apparent that the malaria vector was spreading rapidly into the middleveld and certain highveld areas in the Southern portion of Swaziland, and invading vast areas which in normal years are free from vector-breeding. At an unusually early stage exceptionally heavy malaria transmission took place throughout the territory, coinciding with similar outbreaks in Zululand, Mozambique Territory and the Eastern Transvaal. In Swaziland the areas most seriously affected were those south of the Usutu River, and an exceptionally heavy ''break-through occurred in the Lubuli-Nsoko Section for which swamp conditions resulting from irrigation were primarily responsible. In combatting the serious malaria outbreak, which had assumed epidemic proportions before it was effectively checked, control measures had to be increased considerably, and it became necessary to spray huts in areas which are normally free of malaria, and re-breat those in the controlled areas to an additional extent. While in normal years, it has been the practice for huts in the lowveld areas to receive two applications of B.H.C,, a single treatment sufficing in the middleveld, three sprayings in the former areas and two in the latter: were undertaken on this occasion, when 154,585 huts were sprayed with residual insecticide, during the 1952/53 transmission season, as compared with 71,951 in 1951/52. In addition to the anti-malaria measures carried out in Native Areas, the Department endeavoured to assist European farmers by utilising mobile emergency squads to spray their houses and African compounds, and 1,800 pneariaoeywere dealt with in this manner. The variations in the incidence of malaria during the period December 1952- January 1953 to May 1953, are indicated by the figures relating to parasite-positive cases shown in the following tables December/January: Parasite Rates. Total blood films examined = 1359 1952 1953 Total positives : 250 = 18.4/ Controlled Areas North Controlled Areas! South European Farms Non-controlled i ! areas. Total Positive Total Positivei Total Positive] Total Positive j Field 498 17 191 j 22 223 42 238 36 { Hospital 68 9 23 21 4 49 . 87 54_ Total . . 26 214 4? 1 27 6 91 305 O CT\ 3? 2073431^3 0 Rates 4.6/_20/_36.670_29,5/ Febri.ia.ry Parasite Rates. Total blood films examined - 1003 Total positives : 224 , = 22,3/ Control] N01H Led Areas bh Controlled Areas South European Farms Non-controlled . areas j Total Positive Total Positive Total Positive Total Positive! Field Hospital 345 69 16 20 285 28 68 19 139 23 00 0 K'v (N 58 3 56 40 Total 431 36 313 '87 162 58 114 43 Parasite Rates 8. 7/o 27.8/ 35.8/ 37.7/. j March Parasite Rates, Total blood films examined = 816 ' Total positives : 151 = 19.7/ | , Controlled Areas North Controlled Areas! South European jNon-controlled Farms ? areas Total Positive Totali Positive Total Positive Total Positive Field Hospital 294 76 18 15 228 i 34 25 15 ... 47 33.. 32 i2 85 13 26 15 Total 370 33 253 ! 49 . 82 51 111 28 Parasite Rates 8.9f° 19.3$ 50.0$ 25.2$ i