Annual report of the Medical Department / Nyasaland Protectorate.

  • Nyasaland. Medical Department.
Date:
[1948]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Nyasaland Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/16 (page 2)
    Offices of anti-malarial drugs, was £4,633-2s-4d as against £5,717—16s—-1 Od in 1947. This was collected under the following heads :— 1947 1948 £ s d £ s d Hospital fees 3,348 14 5 2,860 2 9 Sale of Store.- 1,855 14 3 ... 1,241 11 4 Pathological fees 59 6 6 ... 19 18 6 Radiological fees 95 11 0 ... 135 9 0 Dental fees 334 16 8 ... 314 14 4 Ambulance fees . . . 12 0 ... 28 16 0 Yellow Fever Inoculation fees 23 2 0 ... 32 11 0 - £5,717 16 10 ... £4,633 2 4 12. Sales of quinine, mepacrine and paludrine at Post Offices were as follows 1947 1948 £ s d £ s d Quinine 828 12 0 ... 1,272 18 8 Mepacrine 597 6 8 ... 409 13 6 Paludrine ... ... ... — 530 0 0 £1,425 18 8 ... £2,212 12 2 D. General 13. Medical Store. Shortages of some drugs but particularly dressings and rubber gloves were again experienced during the year but on the whole the supply position was easier than in 19-47. Production of Calf Lymph. Owing to the greatly increased demand for calf lymph and the inability of the Pathologist to procure sufficient calves to produce emmgh lymph it became necessary to import l^nrph from the United Kingdom for a period of three months. With the co-opevation of the Commis¬ sioner of Prisons a beginning was made of using the prison farm to rear calves for lymph production and it is hoped to increase the prison herd until it becomes the sole source cf supply of calves. 14. Buildings, (i) The installation of steam was completed at the African Hospital, Zomba, and there is now steam laundering, cooking and sterilising. The installing of a hot water system was started towards the end of the year. (ii) The Dental centre at Zomba was completed and a Dental X-ray machine put into use. (iii) A wash-house for the maternity block was completed at Blantyre European Hospital. (iv) At Kota Kota the verandah of the surgical ward was rebuilt and a well for the Hospital sunk. (v) The construction of a Health Unit at Mwanza w'as nearing completion at the end of the year. SECTION II. PUBLIC HEALTH A. Communicable Diseases 15. Smallpox, (i) This disease continued in epidemic proportions throughout the year, the Southern Province and the southern districts of the Centra] Province being most affected. The type of smallpox was virulent ; 4,830 eases with 606 deaths occurred, giving a case mortality cf 12.5%. (ii) The vaccination campaign was in ten si lied and a special effort was made in the Dedza District, where 1,176 cases occurred, to ensure complete protection of the population and to prevent the spread of the disease to the North. So far this attempt has been successful. (iii) During the year 1,069,681 persons were reported to have been vaccinated. Of these, 327,424 gave a primary (vaccinial), 122,416 an accelerated (vaccinoid) and 101,187 an immediate (immune) reaction. 518,654 were not seen again after vaccination. African vaccinators are still not reliable observers of the immune reaction so, if only the primary and accelerated reactions are accepted as confirmed, a total of 449,840 persons were immunised against smallpox. (iv) The following table gives details, district bv district, of the vaccinations reported as performed together with the case incidence of smallpox.