Annual medical and sanitary report / Uganda Protectorate.

  • Uganda Protectorate. Medical Department.
Date:
[1916]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    44/48 (page 42)
    (2) . In my opinion and in that of the Medical Officer of Health, Kampala, the infection was brought to Kampala from the endemic plague areas in the Eastern Province by means of infected rats in cargo on the lake steamers. (3) . The incidence of rat and human plague on the pier at Port Bell followed immediately after by the appearance of rat and human plague at the cotton ginneries at Kampala, leads one to the conclusion that seed cotton was the infected cargo in question. (4) . Both the ginneries which became infected at Kampala receive the bulk of their seed cotton from the Eastern Province and were the only two ginneries receiving cotton at the time. (5) . Moreover when the cotton was being unloaded from carts in which it was brought from Port Bell, at one of these ginneries live rats were actually seen among the bags of cotton. (6) . If it is possible for rats to find harbourage in seed cotton in moving carts they will do so in the lake steamers on Lake Chioga, the railway trucks between Namasagali and Jinja as well as in the steamers on Lake Victoria and in my opinion the rats have brought the infection from the endemic area round Lake Chioga in this manner. (7) . Some of the seed cotton was stored for months at Jinja awaiting shipment and for weeks on the pier at Port Bell and this would tend to encourage rats to find harbourage in the cotton. (8) . That the disease did not show itself in Jinja at an earlier date does not to my mind disprove the theory as it may have existed in a quiescent stage in the rats for weeks or months. (9) . Another possible factor in the Kampala outbreak is that owing to pressure of war work it has not been possible to subject the lake steamers to claytonisation as frequently as formerly. Administrative. To cope with the extra work thrown on the Municipal and Medical Departments:— (a) . An additional Sub-Assistant Surgeon was sent to both Kampala and Jinja. (b) . Dr. Spearman was temporarily transferred from the Lango District to assist Dr. van Someren. (c) . The Sanitary Inspector at Kampala, Mr. Mackenzie, was re-called from military duty and the services of Mr. Littlewood, who has been acting as his relief, have been retained for the present in addition. (d) . The native staffs of the isolation hospitals were increased and medical police engaged to act as guards on contacts, etc. (10) . The expenditure entailed by the epidemic has been as follows:— Rs. cts. Pay :—Superintendents, inspectors and police guards 1,186 00 Native attendants :—Isolation camps ... 246 56 Equipment and up-keep :—Camps ... • • • • • • 637 66 Rewards for rats • • • • • • 192 22 Rat traps and poison • • • • • • 124 40 Contingencies :—Miscellaneous ... . , . 100 00 Contingencies :—Building camps ... ... 523 25 Contingencies :—Removal police lines • • • • • • 1,245 00 New huts for Public Works Department, Transport and Customs 244 50 New huts for Police ... 7,035 00 Compensation for grain destroyed at Jinja ... 405 00 Total ... Rs. 11,939 59 = £795 19 6 (11). It is not anticipated that any further extra expenditure of any magnitude will be necessary and up to date no claims for compensation for loss of infected goods destroyed have been put forward.