Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope.
- Cape of Good Hope (South Africa). Department of Public Health.
- Date:
- [1906]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the Colony on the public health ... / Cape of Good Hope. Source: Wellcome Collection.
53/300 page 49
![. *''' ^ was of a European ; 26 were of unvaccinated cases, 4 of pre-vaccinated, and in the remaining two cases the condition as to vaccination is unknown. Public Vaccination. During- the year 1906, the amount of vaccination performed was considerably in excess of that for previous years, especially in the Native Territories. In view of the need for retrenchment, expenditure on Vaccination had during the previous two years been kept as low as possible, but owing to the very considerable extent to which Small-pox prevailed at the end of 1905 and during the first half of 1906, it became necessary to push on with this work. As a consequence, as will be seen from the returns published on pages 123 and 124 of the Annexures, 98,270 persons were vaccinated in the Colony Proper, 42,178 of these vaccinations being performed fiy lay vaccinators in certain districts where there are large collections of Natives. Of the total number vaccinated, consider¬ ably over half were of children under 10 years of ago. In the Native Territories, 258,066 persons were vaccinated, 33,174 of these being done by lay vaccinators; nearly two-thirds of all the vaccinations were of children under 10 years of ago. It will thus be seen that the large total of 356,336 persons were vaccinated or re-vaccinated. This amount of vaccination necessarily entailed a correspond¬ ingly large supply of lymph. Unfortunately, owing to the abolition of the Grahamstown Bacteriological Laboratory, this Colony was not at the time in a position to manufacture its own calf lymph. During the last Session of Parliament a sum of £1,000 was voted for the erection of Calf Lymph Stables and Preparing Booms on a piece of Government ground at Bosebank, near Cape Town, but as the work of Construction could not be commenced until tbe money was available, it was not undertaken until the end of the year 1906, and was only completed during the present year, when the manufacture of full supplies of Calf lymph for the Colony were commenced under £he supervision of Dr. G. W. Bobertson, the Bacteriologist. In the meantime we were com¬ pelled to purchase our supplies, and by the courtesy of the Trans¬ vaal Authorities the Bacteriological Department of that Colony undertook to meet our requirements at a charge of two¬ pence per tube. This charge, which in itself is reasonable enough, worked out owing to the large quantities required to a considerable item—in fact, to several thousands of pounds—with the result that this unforeseen expenditure was responsible for the Vaccination Vote for the Financial Year 1906-07 being exceeded. Plague. During the year 1906 no outbreak of Plague occurred anywhere in the Colony in man, but Plague-infected rodents continued to be found during the earlier part of the year in both Port Elizabeth and East London, 10 Plague-infected rats and 6 Plague-infected mice being discovered at Port Elizabeth, the last being found on 28th July, and 29 rats and 15 mice at East London, the last being found on 29th August. Also, in July 1906, Plague rats were again dis¬ covered for a short period at King William’s Town, 13 in all being- found. (G. 40—1907.] U](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31482028_0053.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
