The annual report of the Medical and Health Departments, Kedah and Perlis.

  • Kedah and Perlis. Medical Department.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The annual report of the Medical and Health Departments, Kedah and Perlis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/86 (page 8)
    3 It is quite clear, however, that malaria remains the most important cause of sickness and death in this State. Thus as foreshadowed in last years report an Anti-Malarial Department was organised during the year. Starting with 2 Collectors for the State at the end of 1934, there are now a Mosquito Dissector, two Inspectors and four Collectors: a malarial laboratory has been equipped and a considerable increase in the malarial work of the Department and its scope in all controlled areas can be recorded. Proper Anti-Malarial Schemes continued to be confined to Alor Star, Sungei Patani, Kulim and Langkawi. In these however the controlled area was almost doubled during the period under review and the work has now been extended up to the Sanitary Board limits in each case. A half mile radius beyond these limits has been completely surveyed and Government has been requested to gazette the areas as Anti-Malarial Zones. The considerable malarial problems presented by the very extensive paddy areas around Alor Star (North Kedah), and to a less extent Sungei Patani (Central Kedah) and Langkawi (Island) were given very careful consideration. In the former case, in which the country is flat, such carriers as A. Barbirostris and A. Hyrcanus predominate: in the latter, A. Maculatus in addition. In view of the very considerable sums that it is expected will be required to deal with the problem in any practicable form, a detailed investigation was commenced in the Alor Star area towards the end of the year to ascertain the exact local carrier, its breeding conditions, and the best and cheapest means of control To stop the A. Maculatus breeding in the seepage from the ravine paddy areas in the two latter places, action was taken to extend the cultivation to cover these areas. The Kulim District (South Kedah) is principally A.Maculatus country, being of hilly ravine type. Two outbreaks of malaria had to be dealt with here during the malarial seasons and reported outbreaks were investigated in a number of other places. Permanent (subsoil) schemes were approved for particularly dangerous areas in the Towns of Kulim and Kuala Nerang. That for the latter was completed. Extensive repairs were carried out on existing subsoil works. Brush oiling was introduced into certain of the controlled areas as practised in Kuala Lumpur, F.M.S. A considerable saving in oil resulted. This economy measure will be further exploited as better and more intimate supervision is practicable. Experimentation was also commenced with Paris Green as a larvicide on a large scale, taking into consideration similar work elsewhere as applied to local conditions. Chemio-prophylaxis was continued at the Quarantine Station, Padang Besar, at Bukit Kayu Hitam and on an increasing number of estates, Atebrin and Plasmochin continuing to be the drugs of choice. Now that malaria control in the State is being fully organised with trained laboratory and personnel available, supervision by inspection, larval surveys, mosquito dissections and spleen and blood examinations will be increasingly possible. That far more must be attempted and attained in the sphere of malaria control in Kedah is amply borne out even by the statistics available so far. These sufficiently indicate the wide¬ spread infection prevalent. The consequent ill-health and suffering that must follow to the majority of the population and the grave economic loss to the State are sufficiently obvious factors. Little has been done so far in Kedah to control mosquito nuisance in residential areas. This problem is one of considerable importance to Sanitary Boards and it is hoped to give it some attention in the future as more important problems permit. The squatters and temporary house areas are two of the main sources of the trouble: policies with regard to these are already under consideration. .(b) Malaria on Estates. This section should be read in close conjunction with that on general estate work, where the variations in populations are mentioned.