§ Mr. WATERSONasked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the very serious epidemic of 1866W small-pox which occurred in the Philippine Islands during the years 1918 and 1919; whether, as recently reported in the Press, in those two years there were 107,981 cases, with 59,741 deaths, in a population of some 9,000,000; and whether his medical advisers have any explanation to offer as to the cause of this terrible outbreak, especially in view of the strict enforcement of vaccination which has obtained in the islands since the date of the American occupation in 1898?
§ Sir A. MONDThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, the official figures are those given in my reply of the 14th instant to the hon. Member's previous question on this subject. The information available is not sufficient to enable my medical advisers to express any opinion as to the causes of this outbreak.