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CHAPTER VIII. 
YELLOW FEVER IN MEXICO AND IN THE CENTRAL 
AMERICAN REPUBLICS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 
THE FRUIT PORTS. 
As the prosperity of British Honduras is very closely associated with that 
of the Republics which surround her, and as the recurrence of Yellow 
fever or plague in them seriously affects the British Colony, I have briefly 
reviewed in the following pages the position of Yellow fever in Mexico, 
and the Central American Republics, dwelling especially upon the outbreak 
of the present year, with the two-fold object of throwing light upon the 
recent epidemic in Belize, and of furnishing data for guidance in preventing 
recurrences in future. 
With the object of obtaining first hand information and of observing 
the distribution of the Stegomyia fasciata , I visited not only Corosal, Stann 
Creek and Punta Gorda along the coast of British Honduras, but also Payo- 
Obispo in Yucatan, Livingston and Puerto Barrios in Guatemala, and Puerto 
Cortes in Spanish Honduras. 
Under President Dias there has been a great development of trade in 
Mexico, especially in Yucatan, the nearest maritime province of Mexico to 
Cuba, and on our northern frontier. Still more recently the Mexican 
Government has assumed control of Chetumal Bay, has tried . to revive the 
old town of Bacalar (see Map I.) and has brought into existence in three 
years the town of Payo-Obispo, and in every way is encouraging trade on 
the Mexican side of the Rio Hondo, our northern boundary. The 
Tehuantepec Interoceanic Railway across the Isthmus of Mexico has 
largely increased Mexican trade. With the increase of trade communication, 
has followed both the dissemination of Yellow fever to places before free, 
and an outbreak of plague ; in addition at Bacalar near the British frontier, 
there has been reported very severe Malaria amongst the soldiers and 
labourers. 
To the south of Belize the most remarkable development in the Central 
American Republics has been the Banana industry. Owning to this extensive and 
lucrative trade with the United States, many of the older coast towns have 
become important fruit ports, whilst new ports have sprung up and extensive 
tracts in the various Republics are now being actively reclaimed and put under fruit 
cultivation. A glance at Map II. will show the very large extent of coast line 
reaching from Belize to Bocas del 1 oro, in Panama, now engaged in the fruit traffic. 
Still more recently extensive tracts of country have been brought under rubber 
cultivation. I here is a continuous stream of steamers passing between the fruit 
ports and ports in the United States. The development of the fruit trade has 
stimulated railway construction, so that the banana of the more fertile districts in 
