Annual report of the Medical Department / Tanganyika Territory.

  • Tanganyika. Medical Department.
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Tanganyika Territory. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/84 (page 7)
    PART II—PUBLIC HEALTH III.—COMMUNICABLE DISEASES 19. Introduction.—In the following paragraphs a brief description of the year’s experience in certain of the commoner communicable diseases is given. Where possible this is supported by a statement of the recorded incidence of the disease over the past five years. These figures are drawn entirely from the statistical returns submitted by Government medical institutions, and are not to be taken as the actual incidence of these diseases over the territory as a whole. In the case of only three, viz. sleeping sickness, plague and smallpox, is it likely that the recorded figures approximate to the actual incidence of these diseases in the territory. (A) Direct Infections Smallpox (Variola) TABLE II Reported Territorial Incidence of Smallpox, 1947-195] 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 Cases 2,960 .., 1,206 ... 1,045 ... 6,390 ... S55 Deaths 616 .., 209 ... 169 ... 1,345 ... 139 Case mortality per cent... 20-7 .. 17-3 ... 16-1 ... 21-04 ... 16-3 20. The history of smallpox in recent years was reviewed in the Annual Report for 1950. During 1951, there was no widespread epidemic, and only one large outbreak of smallpox, originating in Ililwa District. In 1950, there was an epidemic of smallpox in the Southern Province, and the Kilwa out¬ break is thought to have come from a focus of infection remaining from this previous epidemic. It is interesting to note that secondary spread from this outbreak was first noticed in the neighbourhood of Dar es Salaam, and that local secondary spread occurred after this. It is thought that this was due to the carriage of infection by the medium of road transport, which, at the time of the outbreak (June), was fairly heavy between Ivilwa and Dar es Salaam. Some 33,000 persons were vaccinated in the infected area. Altogether in the Eastern Region about 700,000 vaccinations were performed during the year. The potency of the lymph provided has been very satisfactory. 21. In the Western Region there was a limited outbreak in Maswa District, where, over the past three years, this disease appears to smoulder and break out from time to time, despite vaccination. The Assistant Director of Medical Services reports that chickenpox has been widespread over the Western Region and that “the differential diagnosis from smallpox is not always quite as easy as the text books would have it”. Indeed, the co-existence of varicella, variola minor and variola major which has been observed in the Lake Province for several years now is a curious phenomenon, which might well repay special study.