HEALTH SURVEY IN PACIFIC

U.S. ARMED FORCES MEDICAL: JOURNAL
Table 11. Results of survey for syphilis and
gonorrhea, Saipan,* Palau, and Marshall Is-

able 13.

Results of chest x-ray survey for active pulmonary tuberculosis by
age group

lands districts

a

District and island oratoll

Syphilis

Active by x-ray

Gonorrhea

Total numberof cases

6

12

Palau

~-

2

Koror Island
Yap Island

-

1
1

Marshall Islands

6

10

Ailuk Atoll

~

1

Arno Island
Ebon Atoll
Kwajalein Atoll
Majuro Atoli
Namorik Island

i
1
4
-

1
3
4
1

Age group (years)

Under 5

Total

Saipan district

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

241

1.3

68

1.6

Palau district
Number
134

Percent
15

district

Number

Percent

39

0.7

2

.6

2
6

2
5

5

5

3

8

5 to 14

15

3

5

4

8

.4

15 to 24

39

Li

1

2.0

17

11

67

1.2

iv

1.5

43

1.5

7

5

vai

4.4

66

3.5

22

2.0

25 to 44

45 and over

115

3.2

‘Fe. x-rayed were aged and infirm.

0

Marshall Islands

The initial examination consisted

‘eeof a 35-mm photofluorographic roentgenogram that, if the x-ray
*No cases of syphilis or gonorrhea reported for the Saipan district.
3. shadows were suspiciously abnormal, was followed by a 14- by 17‘inch chest roentgenogram. The findings reported in this survey
curred infrequently among both men and women. Several cases of :
‘were
made from the 14- by 17-inch films without further clinical
syphilis and gonorrhea were reported from the Majuro and Kwajalein
>
study.
Atolls. but only an occasional case was reported from any of the other
On the basis of these examinations 4.5 percent of those x-rayed
islands oratolls.
were
found to have chest defects, and 1.3 percent were suspected of
Chest x-ray examinations. Chest roentgenograms were made of
=
having
active pulmonary tuberculosis. The number of chest tumors,
approximately 82 percent of the population of the Saipan, Palau, and
cardiovascular abnormalities, and bone deformities was negligible,
Marshall Islands districts (tables 12 and 13). Many of those not
~ none being over0.3 percentof the total x-rayed.
‘The prevalence rates for active pulmonary tuberculosis increase
Table 12. Results of chest x-ray examinations
with age, showing but little variation by sex. The proportion of
Total
Saipan district
Palau district
Marshall Islands
active-pulmonary-tuberculosis suspects among those x-rayed is greatdistrict
X-ray findings
est for those 45 years of age and over, 3.2 percent as compared with
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
the next highest rate of 1.2 percent for the 25- to 44-year age group.
Only slight differences were noted between rates for both sexes, the
X-ray examinations
18, 094
100. 0
4, 226
100.0
8, 733
100.0
5, 135
100.0
overall rate for females exceeding that for males by 0.1 percent.
All chest defects
817
4.5
230
5.4
388
4.4
199
3.9

Of the three districts Saipan has the highest percentage of chest

Tuberculosis, pulmonary

267

1.4

85

2.0

141

1.6

41

.8

04
147
6

5
8
vl

24
44
17

6
1.0
4

8
St
7

-6
.9
1

7
22
2

3
4
4

Chest tumor
Cardiovascular ab-

al

2

7

2

i7

2

7

1

Bone deformity

48

32

3

W

3

in

1

26

4

439

2.4

124

2.9

217

2.5

98

2.0

Moderately and
far-ad vanced
Other active
Arrested

normality

Other

1212

2

3

1

2

.0

27

4

VOLUME 10, No. 10

defects, with Palau ranking second and the Marshall Islands lowest
of all, 5.4, 4.4, and 3.9 percent, respectively. Of the persons x-rayed
only 0.7 percent in the Marshall Islands, 1.5 percent in Palau, and
1.6 percent in Saipan were recorded as being suspected of having

active pulmonarytuberculosis.

On the basis of the chest roentgenograms performed (table 14), 10
islands had no active pulmonary tuberculosis. On the other islands
the percentage of positive films for the x-rayed population ranged
from Kwajalein’s 0.1 to Faraulep’s 6.8. On six of these islands or

OCTOBER 1959

1213

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