H—3l

DIVISION OF TUBERCULOSIS The general activities of the year have been mainly concerned with improving the accuracy of the district registers notified cases. Planning of hospital and sanatorium accommodation have occupied much time, and a chest-surgery policy for New Zealand hospitals has been defined. The Director visited the South Pacific in September, and in special reports has advised the Government of Fiji and the Island Territories Department on tuberculosis control in their respective areas of administration. The returns for the year 1946 as obtained from the notifications by general practitioners, hospital clinics, and the Department's case-finding scheme disclose the known position as at 31st December, 1946, as under : Stated Morbidity of Tuberculosis, Maori and European, in New Zealand, as.at 31st December, 1946, compared with the years 1944 and 1945 :

The increase in morbidity during the last three years is more likely to be due to intensified case-finding and better notification than to a marked increase in prevalence. New cases (actual or suspected) notified during 1946 numbered 2,320, as compared with 2,572 in 1945 and 2,254 in 1944. Of the 2,320 notified cases, pulmonary cases numbered 1,973, (1,530 Europeans, 443 Maoris) and non-pulmonary 347 (Europeans, 290, Maoris, 57). The known incidence rates for all forms of tuberculosis are : European, 4-32 per 1,000 ; Maoris, 24-56 per 1,000 ; and combined cases, 5-48. Of the 9,617 cases on the register at 31st December, 1946, 3,304 were returned as being in the " active " state, " infectious," or " potentially infectious." The 1946 mortality returns for tuberculosis, as supplied by the Government Statistician, are scheduled as follows

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Pulmonary. Non-pulmonary. Total, 1946, all Forms. 1944. 1945. 1946. . 1944. 1945. 1946. North Island South Island .. .. 5,038 1,722 6,116 2,055 6,234 2,315 507 259 546 360 653 415 6,887 2,730 Totals for New Zealand 6,760 8,171 8,549 766 906 1,068 9,617* * Total Maori morbidity for 1946 in the above total = 2,485.

M —- ■ Pulmonary Forms. Other Forms. Total Deaths, 1945. European. Maori. Totals, Pulmonary. European. Maori. Totals, other Forms. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. E.. M. North Island South.Island .. Total, New Zealand 159 97 128 75 124 4 160 4 571 180 33 25 29 15 51 49 3 162 43 376 225 358 15 256 203 128 164 751 58 44 51 52 205 601 373