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54
LABORATORY FACILITIES.
Pathological outfits are supplied to medical practitioners and
specimens from their patients residing in the district are examined
free of charge. The bacteriological examination of specimens from
patients in the Hospital is undertaken in the Hospital laboratory.
Specimens examined during the year were as follows:—
For the detection of tubercle bacilli 57
„ „ ,, „ diphtheria bacilli 116
„ „ ,, „ typhoid bacilli (fæces) 3
„ „ „ „ „ „ (urine) 2
Blood (Widal action) 4
Total 182
DISINFECTION OF ROOMS AND ARTICLES, AND
DISINFESTATION.
(a) Disinfection after infectious disease.
Rooms vacated by persons suffering from infectious disease
are disinfected by fumigation with formalin vapour; this work is
undertaken by the staff of the Public Health Department. The
number of rooms disinfected after infectious disease during 1938
was 252.
Infected bedding and clothing is steam-disinfected after removal
to the Disinfecting Station attached to the Isolation Hospital. During
1938 137 lots of bedding and clothing were steam-disinfected.
(b) Disinfestation.
Bedding and bedclothing from bug-infested houses is disinfested
also by steam at the Disinfecting Station. During 1938 276 lots of
bedding from houses in slum clearance areas, and 51 lots of bedding
from other houses from which the tenants were rehoused in Council
houses, were dealt with by steam-disinfestation.
Information with reference to action taken to disinfest buginfested
houses and household effects other than bedding and bedclothing
is given on page 28 of this Report.
(c) Destruction of bedding and other articles.
Twenth-four lots of bedding, clothing or other articles which had
been infected, or were infested with vermin, were destroyed on request.