Annual report of the Medical Department / Uganda Protectorate.

  • Uganda Protectorate. Medical Department.
Date:
[1942]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    7/14 (page 5)
    migration of G. palpalis from the lake shore all roads and paths were cleared of overhanging bush and trees; the work was done under the direction of Native Authorities. The measures adopted reduced the number of G. palpalis found away from the lake shore but as this reduction coincided with the dry season no definite conclusions of the value of the methods adopted can yet be drawn. Observations are being continued. 22. Two semi-permanent hospitals were erected, one in the Busoga district and one near the boundary of the Mbale district, to admit cases and treat them. These hospitals are proving popular for they make unnecessary the removal of patients far from their families. Desertions from hospitals have become very infrequent and Native Authorities are co-operating in getting cases deserting from hospital to return for the completion of their course of treatment. 209 deaths due to sleeping sickness were recorded in the Eastern Province. 23. West Nile District.—The incidence of the disease in the West Nile District continues to diminish. 246 cases were reported compared with 304 in 1941. Control measures in this district have been maintained and we continue to hope will progressively reduce the cases recorded. 24. Other Districts.—In Toro there were 106 cases compared with 62 in the previous year. The area affected remains small. The increase in cases recorded is considered to be due to more careful examination of the population in the infected area. A few cases have been reported from Mengo and Masaka Districts, in the Buganda Province and from Bunyoro and Acholi in the Western Province but the position gives no cause for alarm. The one case reported from Masaka is of interest since it occurred in a child far from any known focus of tsetse fly, who, so far as we could find out, had not left the vicinity of his home. A survey of the population living near the child found infected produced no other cases. 25. Relapsing Fever.—815 cases were reported and 36 deaths are attributed to this disease in cases treated in our hospitals. The number of cases reported in 1941 was 591 with 28 deaths. The disease is reported to be occurring in areas previously considered free. 26. Plague.—356 cases with 338 deaths were reported. These figures show a slight increase on the figures for last year. 27. Typhus.—10 cases were reported. 28. Malaria.—61,720 cases were reported causing 207 deaths. The number of persons suffering from this disease admitted to hospital was 7,981. Malaria remains the most important of all diseases. 29. Blackwater Fever.—176 cases with 27 deaths were recorded. Of these 66 with 7 deaths were treated by Government staff and 110 with 20 deaths by private medical praetiti©ners. 30. Yellow Fever.—No cases were reported but the Yellow Fever Research Institute obtained the yellow fever virus from a catch of A. simpsoni collected in the Bwamba County in Toro District. This is the area in which the Institute is making intensive observations. This finding is all the more interesting because the human population in the area had been rendered immune during 1941 by mass inoculation. Another virus not of yellow fever was also isolated from mosquitoes in Bwamba by the Institute. The nature of this virus is not yet known but sera from the local population have been shown to protect white mice. (b) Infectious Diseases. 31. Poliomyelitis.—There were 15 cases and 5 deaths compared with 8 cases and no deaths in 1941. Cases occurred sporadically and were the cause of some concern : amongst the persons affected were a number of Europeans, mainly children. 32. Diphtheria.—There were 4 cases and 1 death. 33. Cerebro-Spinal Fever.—606 cases with 204 deaths were reported as compared with 112 cases with 38 deaths during 1941. The number of deaths