Annual vaccination returns of the Province of Assam : with brief explanatory notes.

  • Assam
Date:
[1916]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual vaccination returns of the Province of Assam : with brief explanatory notes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/26 (page 3)
    were recorded in 1915 and 1,474 children were successfully vaccinated. According to this rough calculation the proportion of 49*03 per cent, of the available children in these areas was protected against small-pox as compared with 67 per cent, in the previous year. Nine!y-one per cent, of the available children were vaccinated in the town of Goal- para, in Nowgong 87 per cent., in Dhubri and Golaghat75 per c nt., in Gauhati 74 per cent., in Jorhat 68 per cent., in Dibrugarh 62 per cent., in Sibsagar 55 per cent., in Silchar 49 per cent., in Shillong 42 per cent., in Sunamganj 38 per cent., in Tezpur 35 per cent., in Barpeta 32 per cent., in Maulvi Bazar 29 per cent., in Karimganj 21 per cent., in Habiganj 14 per cent., and in Sylhet 7 per cent. These figures do not, however, represent the totals of primary vaccination operations on children over 1 year of age. It depends upon the closeness of the administration of the Act by the Civil Surgeon of the district what number of children are allowed to complete their first year of life without vaccination. The machinery of the Act is now administered with sufficient efficiency to ensure that few, if any, of these children eventually escape vaccination, but steps are being taken to complete the vaccination of the towns in which it is in default. In the town of Sylhet only 23 children out of an available total of 321 have been vaccinated ; this is a poor record of work. 12. Vaccine Depot.—The number of capillary tubes loaded during the year 1915- 16 was 497,692 a3 compared with 547,447 in the year 1914-15. The decrease is due to the fact that in the latter year lymph was supplied to the Eastern Bengal districts for a certain portion of that year. 356 calves were inoculated during the year and lymph was taken from 285 ; the lymph of the remaining 71 was rejected as unsuit¬ able. The average number of tubes filled per calf was 1,746 as compared with 1,684 in 1914-15. Failures in the October supply of lymph were as usual reported from some districts and it appears almost certain that this is caused by too early an issue of the lymph which is rendered inert by exposure to heat before use. Arrangements are being made to prevent this. 18. Cost of the Department.—Including the charges of the Vaccine Depot the total amount of expenditure on vaccination in 1915-16 was Rs. 51,44]-10-9 as compar¬ ed with Rs. 62,169-9-0 in 1914-15. The decrease of Rs. 10,727-14-3 is due to decreased expenditure in the Vaccine Depot consequent on the discontinuance of the supply of lymph to the Eastern Bengal districts and to reduced expenditure under the head travelling allowance as the result of closer supervision. The amount of travelling allowance drawn in Cachar where certain abuses had been prevalent, has been reduced by Rs. 1,422 as compared with last year, by transferring the Inspector cf Vaccination elsewhere, dismissing the Sub-Inspector, and checking the travelling allowance bills in this office. The report of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills shows an unsatisfactory increase in the travelling allowance drawn, along with other deficiencies of work, and the district work will receive my attention. Of the total expenditure of Rs. 61,441-10-9 during the year, Rs. 2S,320-2-9 were paid from Provincial Revenues, Rs. 20,457-7-2 from Local Funds, Rs. 1,501-9-10 from Municipal Funds and Rs. 1,162-7-0 were contributed by the State of Manipur. The average cost of each successful vaccination during the year was annas three and pie one against annas three and pies seven in 1914-15. 14. General.—During the year 14,821 primary vaccinations and 2,188 revacci¬ nations were performed in tea estates in the plains districts and their percentages of success were 96*51 and 74‘75, respectively. The Civil Surgeon, Lakhimpur, suggests that a charge should be made for lymph supplied to tea estates as the number of operations returned by them is very small compared with the amount of lymph supplied, and he suggests that a charge will lead to more economical use of the lymph. It is possible that the real defect lies mainly in the non-receipt of returns in regard to vaccination. Further consideration of this suggestion will follow on the receipt of information as to the total amount of lymph supplied to tea estates and a comparison of this total with that of the operations reported. One hundred and seventy-seven primary vaccinations and 2^9 revaccinations were reported to have been performed within railway limits by railway medical officers and their percentages of success were 83 43 and 60*09, respectively. Eight hundred and twenty-six primary operations and 1,347 revaccinations were performed in Jails and in the Lunatic Asylum at Tezpur by the medical officers of these institutions and their percentages of success were 70*01 and 54*73, respectively. T. C. McCOMBIE YOUNG, Major,'I.MS., Sanitary Commissioner, Assam.