Medical report / British Honduras.

  • British Honduras. Medical Department
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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

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    Scheme D1108—Training of Junior Personnel’. The three nurses sent for Public Health Training in Jamaica under this scheme completed their training and returned to the Colony in June. III.—HOUSING. In Belize, the capital city, the majority of the population live in houses constructed of tim¬ ber with galvanized iron roofs and usually standing on wooden piles about seven feet above the level of the ground. Owing to the low-lying nature of the ground in Belize, the work of filling and reclamation of land is constantly being undertaken by private individuals and the City Council. Reclamation schemes are undertaken by government from time to time. Housing conditions elsewhere in the Colony vary with the population. In the north, the Indian population lives in adobe houses, that is half-pole walls, which are covered with mud and plaster and painted white. The roof is thatch. In the south the Carib population lives in the same type of house without the plaster on the walls. The standard type of house in towns is the frame house standing on piles with a single layer of pine-boards for the walls and a galvanized iron roof. Windows are usually of the sash type. Living conditions in this type of house depend entirely on whether or not the house gets any sea breeze as without this the house is hot and uncomfortable during the day, unless wide veran¬ dahs and ventilation between the ceiling and roof are provided. This is not usually the case. Until recently it was not believed that the ground in Belize (being reclaimed) would support a cement structure. The Colonial Development Corporation Hotel (of cement) was supported by piles. It is understood, however, that Barclay’s Bank are to erect a two-storey cement struc¬ ture on a site in the town without piles. Conversion to cement as a building material in Belize and district towns would have many advantages, amongst them improved living conditions and freedom from the bogey of fire. The Central Housing and Planning Authority has proposed an extension of the present “Cinderella Town” Scheme to include 68 houses north of the site of Cinderella Town. IV.—PUBLIC HEALTH. Communicable Diseases. The general health of the Colony remained good during the year. The death rate per 1,000 was 11.50 (13.03 in 1950) and the infant mortality rate was 94.6 per 1,000 live births (106.5 in 1950). Malaria: This disease continues to hold first place. There has however been a noticeable drop in the total incidence, i.e. from 806 cases in 1950 to 534 in 1951 (admissions to hospital only). Such a fall would normally occur only as a result of one of the following factors: (i) The introduction of a new anti-malaria drug; (ii) A great decrease in the rainfall; (iii) Extensive drainage of known anopheline mosquito breeding areas, or (iv) The introduction of insect control measures. In this Colony in 1951, one general factor and one local factor operated, the local factor being the putting into action of a plan to drain Stann Creek Town, and as Stann Creek always has a high incidence of malaria, part of the credit for the reduced incidence of malaria in Stann Creek must be given to this drainage scheme devised by Mr. Magoon, Sanitary Engineer at¬ tached to the Rockefeller Foundation. The general factor which operated was the continuation of the Insect Control Programme introduced in the Colony in 1950 under the authority of World Health Organization with materials provided by UNICEF, and to this scheme must go the major part of the credit for the reduction of malaria incidence in the Colony. This reduction is most noticeable in Belize, Stann Creek and Toledo District. The high incidence of malaria in Stann Creek has been attributed to the presence there of Anopheles Darlingi, whose reputation as a carrier ol malaria is attri¬ buted to its high percentage of malaria infected mosquitoes. Of 1740 blood smears, examined for Malaria parasites, 155 or 8.91 %were found positive; of the positives 74.84% were found to be P. Falciparum. Seven deaths were certified caused by malaria, as against 29 in the previous year representing 1.43% and 6% respectively of the certi¬ fied deaths from all causes.
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