Report on the medical and health services / The Gambia.

  • Gambia. Medical Department.
Date:
[1954]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the medical and health services / The Gambia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    20/30 (page 16)
    September October Not recorded Nil Nil Not recorded November December N.B. Results for June, September and October were not recorded because all staff was then employed on carrying out the residual spraying of Bathurst with Gammexane. (ii) Yellow Fever Control.—No cases of Yellow Fever were recorded during the year. Continued vigilance is exercised and immunisation against Yellow Fever is carried out as often as supplies and cost of the vaccine permits. No aedes mosquitoes were found in the town of Bathurst, but breeding was found in typical aedes breeding place, in a kettle containing clear water, in a compound in the town. Close search failed to lead to the discovery of any other breeding places in the area, and since then no fur¬ ther aedes breeding has been found. (The identification was done from the hatched- out larvae). (iii) Pest Control.—-No cases of human rabies were notified during the year, but confirmed cases occurred in dogs. As a result, the usual proclamation was made and dogs found at large seized and destroyed. The new legislation whereby the licens¬ ing of dogs cannot be done without the production of a certificate that they have been inoculated against rabies with the approved vaccine will, it is hoped, go some of the way to easing this particular problem. The inoculation is being carried out by Officers of the Veterinary Department, in the Health Office, Bathurst, at a charge of one shilling using Lederle Laboratories (United States) Rabies Vaccine, Modified Live Virus of Chick Embryo Origin, Vacuum Dried Avianised, It has been agreed that the inoculation will be regarded as conferring immunity from rabies, on dogs over 6 months of age, for a period of two years, for local purposes. Rodent control continued during the year. Because of the fact that bait takes were falling using Zinc Phosphide as a poison it was decided to suspend the use of poisons for rodent control during the year except in selected places. Traps, both cage and break-back, were used instead. During the year a total of 10,424 traps were set, after prebaiting, and a total of 3,989 rats and mice were destroyed. The use of poison baits in a town like Bathurst is open to objections on other grounds. Particularly, it is always to be feared that however carefully poison baits are laid young children may gain access to them. Trouble has also been experienced through domestic pets gaining access to poison baits and becoming ill in consequence. It is difficult under Bathurst conditions to consider any poison safe to be used for rodent control work, other than in warehouses and such like places where there can be control of access while poison baiting is being carried out. (iv) Fly Control.—D.D.T. 5 % in Kerosene and Gammexane Water Dispersible Powder continued to be used for spraying public dustbins, the refuse disposal ground, public latrines in Bathurst and Cape St. Mary and the composting site as a help in fly control. There is some suspicion that flies are becoming resistant to Gammexane, but it has not been possible to scientically assesss the validity of this suspicion. However, an effort is being made to as far as possible alternate the use of the two insecticides so as to reduce the risk of developing resistance in the insect. GENERAL MEASURES OF SANITATION. (i) Cleansing Services.—The cleansing services of Bathurst contiuue to be op¬ erated by the Bathurst Town Council. The previous holder of the post of Sanitary Superintendent to the Council—an officer seconded from the Government Health