Annual report on the Medical Department, Brunei.

  • Brunei. Medical Department.
Date:
[1930]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Medical Department, Brunei. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/34 (page 6)
    III.—HYGIENE AND SANITATION General The Medical Officer is Health Officer for the State. Three areas have been declared Sanitary Board areas,. (1) Brunei Town and environs. (2) Tutong. (3) Kuala Belait. There is one Probationer Sanitary Inspector in Brunei Town. In Tutong there is no Sanitary Inspector. In Kuala Belait the British Malayan Petroleum Company have a Sanitary Inspector for their own property, and an arrange¬ ment is being made whereby his services may also be available for the Kuala Belait Sanitary Board area. (1) Preventive Measures Malaria is not a serious problem in Brunei Town and the surrounding area. Anophelines cannot now be found breeding in the Sanitary Board area. The town is close to a large area of swampy ground, which is potentially a danger, but the draining or oiling of this would be an operation of considerable magnitude, entailing an expense which the amount of malaria does not justify. The Sanitary Board area of Tutong is not malarious. An examination of 72 children showed only two with en¬ larged spleens, and one of those had only lately come to the area. Beyond the Tutong River, however, the kampongs on the coastal strip of ground appear to be intensely malarious. In the two kampongs Tumpuan Danau, and Tumpuan Ugas 24 children out of 36 examined showed enlargement of the spleen. A hasty search in the vicinity discovered larvae of A. barbirostris and A. umbrosus breeding in large numbers in pools in coconut groves near the kampongs. A more complete mosquito survey will be carried out early in 1931. and suitable measures will be taken to deal with anopheline breeding places. It may be that anti-malarial work on a considerable scale will have to be undertaken on this coastal strip between Tutong and Kuala Belait, especially if the Petroleum Com¬ pany extend their operations furtheT in the direction of Tutong.