War Against Tuberculosis
pp. 117-118 · Read in the full issue
[?]ported Scourge
In Two Islands Territories
IKE Papua-New Guinea, the r Cook Islands are making a [ strong effort to fight tuber osis, the worst killer of all the pases introduced in the last cen y or so.
•ike all Polynesians, Fijians,
lanesians and Micronesians, the )k Islanders are tragically sus tible to tuberculosis, which ac nts for at least 30 pc of the Cook mds’ mortality rate, fntil recently, reports a Karo va correspondent, there has been reasonably complete picture of prevalence of TB in the Cooks, i it has not been possible to get 'accurate survey in the outer nds. 0 overcome this problem and ease the people’s resistance to disease, every person in the up will be X-rayed in the near ire. At the same time they will given the Mantoux test. All ons— at least up to the age of whose Mantoux test proves itive will then be vaccinated
1 Bcg.
kNY problems have had to be overcome in bringing the ■ mass-miniature X-ray to the
Cook Group. It has been necessary to design an X-ray machine which can be taken to pieces and packed into watertight duralumin con tainers for safe transport over the reefs. One way and another, the equipment will have to withstand some rough treatment.
A generator which produces enough electricity to run the X-ray plant, and at the same time is light enough for easy handling has been designed and built.
Dr. M. Laing, director of the mass-miniature radiography unit at Wellington, will arrive at Raro tonga in November. Since Dr Wogan’s death last April, Dr. Laing has supervised the assembling of the special equipment, and she will stay in Rarotonga for several weeks to see the launching of the campaign With her will be Mr. Mahoney, who has been appointed radio grapher for the first year of the work.
It will not be possible for the team to visit the outer islands until after the hurricane season, and it is hoped to complete the Rarotonga survey in the interim, A new ward has been opened at
the Rarotonga TB sanatorium and a total of 64 patients will be ac commodated by the end of 1955.
I N Fiji, the annual report of the War Memorial Anti-Tuber culosis Fund states that an average of more than 50 chest S c3 Was ken each day in 1954 S £ va ’ Tamavua, Lautoka and Labasa Hospitals and by the mobile Hrvn Y „ a Unl ' Mantoux testing and B r? V in C / n ma fi. ons were continued. in 1949 the people of Fiii (notably the indigenous Fijians) contributed £60,000 to the War Memorial Fund, to which the S,°H V 0 £2o ’°°o- At the was *£62,646. the Unexpended c^?g endi i Ure durin £ 1954 totalled £J,219 and commitments amount ing to £1,369 were outstanding at the end of the year. Items of ex penditure included the building and equipping of TB annexes, improve ment and maintenance of mobile X-ray vehicles, expenditure on J amavua Hospital and amenities for TB wards.
The Trust Fund Board’s report states thsit the trustees “have told the Government that they are willing to contribute towards the cost of a new tuberculosis hospital in the Colony. The offer has been gratefully accepted, but because financial considerations make the Government’s general hospital policy uncertain, it has been agreed that for the present no further
public appeals will be mad! supplement the War Mem Anti-Tuberculosis Fund.”
The report continues: “In a recent letter the Cole Secretary said that the desiras of moving the Central Tubercc Hospital from Tamavua to Lau had been appreciated for time. The converted Army ho;c buildings at Tamavua were ne the end of their useful life,,; the drier climate of Lautokas more favourable to the treat, of tuberculosis.
“The 1955-60 development gramme therefore included J provision of a new TB hospitj Lautoka. The finance for thr tended development progras however, would come from su sources, including, it was M grants under the new United ! dom Colonial Development ; Welfare Act”.