Medical report / British Honduras.

  • British Honduras. Medical Department.
Date:
[1953]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Medical report / British Honduras. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dysentry. One hundred and fifty-five cases with 9 deaths were notified as against 294 cases with 18 deaths in 1952. Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Sixty-one cases with 20 deaths were notified as against 85 cases with 35 deaths in 1952. Owing to the introduction of Rimifon and Streptomycin treatment there has been a considerable fall in the death rate from this disease, which has resulted in the accumulation of cases in the already over-crowded accommodation available. About 35 cases in the Colony are having domiciliary treatment. This was made possible by the co-operation of the Red Cross and Black Cross Nursing Societies. Comparative death rate for the period 1941-1953 are as shown below: Years Death rate per 100,000 Total Deaths of population 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 38 31 44 29 37 42 32 45 33 34 37 35 20 62 50 70 46 58 70 52 71 50 50 53 48 26 The B.C.G. Vaccination Campaign planned for the Colony for this year commenced in September. The campaign was made possible by (/) the arrival of Dr. E. Losonczi as Medical Officer of Health (/7) the training of a Public Health Nurse in B.C.G. vaccination technique. The campaign commenced in Belize on 11th September and was completed on 26th October. The team then began its districts tours, and this should be completed by April or May 1954. The response in Belize was very good. Although only those under 30 were supposed to be tuberculin tested, in actual fact some 22,000 of the 24,000 inhabitants of Belize appeared for test. As materials were available all were given the test, but none over 30 received B.C.G. The campaign was aided by the co-operation of the Public Relations Officer and widely advertised by press and radio. So far 27,457 tests have been made and 13,242 have received B.C.G. vaccination. The anti-tuberculosis campaign was further promoted by the sending on World flealth Organization Fellowships (/) a doctor to the U.S.A. to study tuberculosis control methods and (//) a laboratory technician to study laboratory methods of diagnosis and culture of tuber¬ culosis material. A chest clinic has also been opened at the Belize Hospital, which it is hoped will lead to earlier diagnosis. The home nursing service is under the supervision of the doctor in charge of this clinic and a public health nurse. The mass radiography unit has not yet been obtained for the colony, and it seems unlikely that one will be obtained before the latter part of 1954. Yellow Fever: The spread of this disease northward has continued in 1953. It has now reached the border between Nicaragua and Honduras in a very remote part of the country. There have been no cases in this colony and until the disease reaches the north coast of Honduras, there is no danger of spread by the overseas route. The presence of yellow fever in Honduras, however, was a constant threat, and as the B.C.G. vaccination team was touring the districts anyway, they were instructed to inocu¬ late the district population with yellow fever vaccine as well. This inoculation was given at the time of inspection of the tuberculin test. The same inoculation campaign will be under¬ taken in Belize at a later date. Up to the end of the year about 8,000 of the rural population had been inoculated. M eantime a strenuous campaign was undertaken to ensure that vats and water containers in Belize were not left uncovered or unscreened, and vats were also treated with DDT and kerosene. In this way it was hoped to eliminate the vector of Yellow Fever {Aedes Aegypti).