31
KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY, FOR 1927-28
A REPORT ON MALARIA IN VIZAGAPATAM (MARCH-APRIL 1927).
By LIEUT.-COL. H. H. KING, I.M.S.
AND
CIVIL ASSISTANT SURGEON, K. V. VENKATARAMAN.
1.
Introduction .—A harbour is being built at Vizagapatam, to ensure its
future health and the health of the workers employed, malaria surveys of the
harbour and railway areas have been made and anti-malaria measures taken. In
October 1925, an Investigation Unit of this Institute under Assistant, Surgeon
K. V. Krishnan surveyed the harbour area. In April and October 1926, Mr. Senior
White, the Malarialogist of the B.N. Railway, surveyed the harbour and rail-
-way areas. In order to ensure that anti-malarial measures in the harbour and
railway areas are not rendered futile by the presence of bad malarial conditions
in Vizagapatam itself, it was decided to survey the town. Reference :—Letter
No. 834-2, Epidemic, dated 22nd February 1927, from the Director of Public
Health, Madras. Accordingly an Investigation Unit under Assistant Surgeon
K. V. Venkataraman made its first visit to Vizagapatam in March and April 1927.
From the fact that at this time the hot season was well advanced, making breed-
ing places scanty, the visit was intended to be merely a preliminary exploration
rather than a true survey.
2.
Topography .—Vizagapatam Municipality—see map attached,—forms a
triangle with its apex southwards between the sea on the east and an extensive
tidal swamp on the west. Its base to the north is bounded by the Simachalam
Hills. The main town is in the southern apex, but separated from this by areas
of barren rock or sandy land or other small town areas like Waltair village in the
north, and Donda-party in the north-west. The land slopes mainly south-east
wards and there are several streams (" Geddas ") or rather stream beds running
in this direction to the sea.
3.
Climate .—As is evident from Chart I (not reproduced) the seasonal
variations in temperature are small. The rainfall averages about 39 inches a
year, most of which falls from June to November, the two wettest months being
September and October.
4.
Population .—According to the census figures of 1921, the population is
44,711. The density varies greatly in the different wards from over 100 per
acre in parts as in Jalaripeta (the fishermen's quarter) to below 25 in others.
There are no special industries in the town except fishing which was probably
the earliest occupations of the inhabitants. The fishermen with their families
number about 5,000, and live in too crowded insanitary hamlets. (Jalaripeta
and Jalaripalem.) The occupations of the mass of the inhabitants are the ordi-
-nary miscellaneous ones in a town. Many are employed in offices and on the
railway.
5.
Malaria in Vizagapatam from 1924—1926.—Judging from the out--
patient attendance in the three dispensaries in the town—see charts I and II (not
reproduced) malaria begins to increase in July every year with the onset of the
south-west monsoon and reaches its maximum in September and October. The
figures for the separate dispensaries show that the attendance in the three dis-
-pensaries closely correspond with each other, so fluctuations in malaria have not
been confined to any one part of the town, but all parts including even the dis--
tant railway section seem to have been subjected to the same changes simulta--
neously. Accordingly it would appear that whatever were the factors producing
malaria, they were more or less general throughout the municipality. The
charts also show that in 1925, there was a distinct epidemic, the reason for this
is difficult to determine, but it does not seem to have been due to a heavy rainfall.
There are two peaks in the malaria curve each year, the first resulting from
a small rise in March and April and the second from a larger rise from July to
September. Although the conditions brought about by the south-west monsoon
appear to be mainly responsible for malaria and cause the second larger rise, yet
there must be some conditions that favour malaria in Spring. On the whole,