Annual public health report of the Province of Bihar.

  • Bihar (India). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1940]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual public health report of the Province of Bihar. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Tho Civil Surgeons still continue to be Superintendents of Vaccination in the districts of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Singhbhum, Palamau, Monghyr and Santal Parganas, where health organization scheme has not yet been introduced or perfected. Steps are, however, being taken to transfer the vaccination work to the District Boards of Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Singhbhum and Santal Parganas which have now qualified health officers and where public health organization scheme will shortly start functioning. 6. Vaccination in towns and compulsory areas.—Statement V shows that during the year 13,285 children under one year of age out of an available number of 20,582 or 64*52 per cent were successfully vaccinated. The towns of Motihari, Bihar, Roserah, Jagdishpur, Chapra, Colgong, Dhanbal, Lalganj, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Katihar, Jamalpur and liaghu- nathpur show the smallest amount of vaccination work done. 7. Incidence and mortality from small-pox.—The total number of death* that occurred from small-pox in the province during the last ten years was 151,276. During the first five years the number of deaths wa9 91,204 while during the next fire years it was 60,072. In each of the last five years the mortality was as follows :— 18,216, 6,877, 5,967, 10,785 and 18,227. The provincial ratios of the mortality from small-pox per thousand population during the last five years have been 0*56, 0*21, 0*18, 0*33 and 0*56. There was decrease in the incidence of small-pox in the province in 1927-28. In 1928-29 there was a further reduction and in 1929-30 there was still further reduction in number of cases. In 1930-31 there was a small increase over the figure of 1929-30. In 1931-32 there was a further increase over the figure of 1930-31. In 1932-33 there was still further increase. In 1933-34 there was recorded a great increase over the figure of 1932-33 and in 1934-35 the mortality figure fell down considerably. In 1935-36 the figure was slightly more than the preceding year. In 1936-37 the figure was less than the figure of 1935-36. In 1937-38 and 1938-39 the mortality figures fell down considerably. In 1939-40 the figure was slightly more than the previous year. In 1940-41 the mortality figures were still higher. This year (calendar 1941) the figures came down to 14,598 which is 3,629 less than last financial year (1940-41). 8. Protection of infants.—During the year under report the number of children under one year, available for vaccination was 937,036 and the number of successful operation was 283,293 or 302 per thousand. The protection of infants in municipalities is separately shown in Statement V. It gives a ratio of 645 vaccination per thousand of the surviving infant population. It is quite evident that a large number of children remain unprotected every year in the rural as well as in urban areas. Such a state of affairs should not continue and the Superintendents of Vaccination and the Vaccina¬ tion staff should be able to devote more time to detecting all unprotected children and getting them vaccinated. Prosecutions under the Vaccination Act are necessary in districts where it has been introduced and vigorous propaganda to win over the objectors in non-compulsory area should be carried on. I he fact that vaccination docs not give protection against chicken-pox is still not known to many and not infrequently vaccine lymph and vaccina¬ tion have been condemned because of some vaccinated children having developed chicken-pox. Further, the failure of vaccination in affording protection in some cases when given during the period of incubation has been the subject of some wrong criticisms by lay people. Vaccination is carried on by men who are not sufficiently educated but can just read and write their own language. Attempt is being made to recruit men from better class of people who have read up to or passed the middle vernacular examination. The vaccinators who arc trained hands are given all necessary instructions regarding the cleanly method of vaccination but cleanliness especially in the rural areas is often not properly observed. It is, however, a fact that vaccinations done under the present circumstances among the dirty children in the insanitary villages prove successful and do not ordi¬ narily become septic. Only occasional complications such as generalised vaccinia and pemphigus like erruptions follow vaccination but their causation is difficult to explain.
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