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16
SANITATION-CANAL ZONE.
MOSQUITO WORK AND MALARIA.
In the towns along the Canal Zone but few stegomyia are to be found at the present time, and we do not often find the adult stegomyia in the employees' quarters. A year and a half has passed without the occurrence of a single case of yellow fever in the Zone. Our work at the present time is largely concentrated on the antimalarial campaign. We have a force of carpenters at work repairing and protecting the screening on the buildings occupied by whites, and also the laborers' barracks. This force, has finished the work between the districts of Tabernilla and Bas Obispo, and will complete' the repair work to be done by about the time the rainy season arrives.
A large amount of drain tile has been laid during the month, and those districts which have given most malaria lately are now being subdrained. It is an error to conclude that malaria disappears with the arrival of the dry season and that the anopheles stop breeding during that season. A very good- example of the efficiency of the antimalarial work has been shown in the Empire District during the month of March. A force of 400 to 600 laborers are in unscreened tents near the low ground known as the Savanas. About three-quarters of a mile away there is a camp up on a hill where about 20 men live. The latter camp is-soon to be abandoned, and so it is out of the question t spend money on antimalarial work in that vicinity. The vicinity of the camp near the low ground is 'used for building purposes, and so receives attention from the Department of Sanitation.
For the past five weeks the record of laborers contracting malaria, and sent to hospital4rom each of these two camps, is as follows:
At macho laborers' camp At comacho laborers' near low ground, camp on hill.
Malarial Malarial
Week ending- patients patients
Popu- of work-... cent. Popu- of work- Percent. lation. ing force r lation. rg force sent to sent to
hospital. hospital.
far. 2----------------400 5 1.25 20 0 0.00
Mar.9................400 4 1.00 20 1 5.00
Mar. 16 ......-. ----- 400.2 .50 20 2 10.00
Mar. 23--------------- 400 2 .50 20 5 25.00
Mar. 30 ............... 660 1 .15 0 1 5.00