U. 8S. ARMED FORCES MEDICAL JOURNAL
HEALTH SURVEY IN PACIFIC
prevalent in this area, and such conditions as diseases of the swea
glands, dermatitis seborrheica, and molluscum contagiosum. Rates’
were much higher in the Saipan and Marshall Islandsdistricts tha
m the Palau district—246.2 and 214.2 per 1,000 inhabitants as com
pared with 62.9, respectively.
time because of the absence of anopheline mosquitoes. None of the
rickettsioses were present. Although dengue, typhoid fever, and
amebic dysentery were formerly regarded as widespread in the territory, no cases Were reported present in these three districts during
the survey.
Several cases of filariasis were reported from the Palau
district and one case from the Saipandistrict.
MISCELLANEOUS DISEASES
It should be borne in mind that some of the variations occurring
Prevalence rates for diseases which occurred with greatest frequency 2
among the islands may be due to the fact that examinations on the
are presented by district in table 19. These diseases were diagnosed “#
yarious islands were performed during different seasons of the year
from the general physical examinations rather than from special tests
ss and by different personnel.
and examinations.
Diseases of the eye. Over 4,000 cases of diseases of the eye and
adnexa
oculi were reported from this area; the prevalence rate was
Table 19. Morbidity for selected diagnoses
198.4
per
1,000, Pterygium, conjunctivitis, and cataract were greatest
(Prevalence rates per 1,000 examinations)
in occurrence. The intense sunlight, fine coral sands blowing about,
Bare mlLRMa? ahI Tote cat te a
Total
Saipan district
Palau district
Marshall Islands
Selected diagnosis
Examinations
Dermatophy tosis
Chronic tonsillitis
and nasopharynegitis
district
Number
Rate
Number
Rate
Number
Rate
Number
22, 146
(*)
4, 999
{*)
10, 575
(*)
6, 572
(*) .
6, 611
.
208. 5
1, 899
379.9
2, 683
253. 7
2, 029
308.7
Rate
Diseases of the skin
and cellular tissue
3, 326
150. 2
1, 433
286. 6
555
52. 5
1, 338
2038. 6
3, 304
Pterygium
149. 2
1, 231
2, 087
246. 2
94.2
665
449
62.9
86.8
1, 408
214.2
675
63, §
963
146. 6
52, 4
900
85.1
401
61.0
Degenerative joint
disease
Conjunctivitis
Cataract
Acute respiratory
Infections
Neoplastic diseases
Inflammatory diseases
of ear
‘
1, 563
70. 6
262
909
41.0
273
784
54.6
35. 4
87
17.4
519
49. 1
632
28.5
426
85.2
123
11,6
325
217
14.7
9.8
Opacity of cornea
Vitamin deficiency
211
195
Anemia
9.5
8.8
185
8.4
60
132
82
101
64
12.9
26. 4
443
74
10
41.9
7.0
.9
193
178
83
191
78
16.4
20. 2
86
28
12.8
8.1
2.6
4
43
66
4
117
29.4
27.1
12.6
29.1-114
6.5
10.0
17.8
APRNEMRE wy
“Not applicable.
The most prevalent diseases in the Saipan, Palau, and Marshall Islands districts were skin diseases, diseases of the eye, and respiratory
diseases. Leprosy was also of major importance. Otherdiseases of
wide prevalence were degenerative joint disease, neoplastic diseases,
rickets and vitamin deficiency, anemia, and inflammatory diseases of
the ear. Diseases carried by mosquitoes and other arthropods do not
assume the importance in the trust territory that is usual in other
tropical areas. Malaria is not an indigenous disease at the present
1218
VOLUME 10, No. 10-
© the use of openfires, and frequent submersion in salt water are con-
sidered factors possibly contributing to the wide prevalence of pterygium and conjunctivitis. Cataracts were mostly of the senile type.
Eighty-five cases of blindness were reported; 17 of these were
bilateral and 68 were unilateral. It is believed that most of these
=" were either congenital or resulted from physical injury.
In comparison with the other districts, the Marshall Islands had a
strikingly high rate for pterygium, 146.5 per 1,000 persons as compared with 89.8 for Saipan and 63.8 for Palau. Conjunctivitis was
most prevalent in the Saipan district, while cataracts occurred most
frequently in the Palaudistrict.
Acute respiratory infections. Acute respiratory infections were in
commonoccurrence throughout the three districts. The over-all prevalence rate was 28.5 per 1,000 persons. This rate was much higher
in the Saipan district than in the Marshall Islands and Palau districts, 85.2 per 1,000 persons as compared with 12.6 and 11.6 respectively. The changeable humid climate, crowded living conditions,
sleeping on floors, low levels of nutrition, and poor standards of
sanitation were undoubtedly factors contributing to these diseases.
~ Saipan Island had an unusually large numberof acute respiratory in- fections for its examined population. Chronic tonsillitis and naso.. pharyngitis were widespread in this area. The prevalence rate for
* the 3 districts combined was 150.2 per 1,000 persons. The rate for the
Palau district, 52.5, was far below those for Saipan and the Marshall
= Islands, 286.6 and 203.6, respectively.
“. Leprosy. Eighty-six lepers from various parts of the trust territory were undertreatment at the leprosarium on Tinian Island at the
time of the health survey. Of these cases, 25 were thought to be lepFOCTOBER 1959
1219