3
especially heavy in the first six months, when also influenza was raging,
fell in July and, after a slight rise in August, declined steadily each month.
8. Anti-malarial measures.—The four anti-malarial schemes, of which
an account was given in last year's resolution, came into full operation and the
results are reported to have been distinctly encouraging. Work was started
on the Nawi-Sunthi and Jabuna schemes, two large drainage schemes of
which the object is to resuscitate dead or dying rivers.
Twenty-four
municipalities having reported that they had undertaken special anti-mala-
rial measures on lines laid down by the Sanitary Commissioner, a special
enquiry was made to test the results. It was ascertained that with
three exceptions (Birnagar, Panihati and Tangail) little or nothing had been
attempted, and that very few of the municipal boards concerned had made any
budget provision for anti-malarial work. In many of the towns moreover, the
incidence of malaria was found to be so small that special measures were not
really required. The special Deputy Sanitary Commissioner was, however,
able to advise others as to the measures suitable to local conditions. These
facts are significant of the need for local authorities enlisting the help of the
Sanitary Department and having a malarial survey made before incurring
expenditure. Malarial surveys were made in 276 villages, 4 collieries
and one tea-garden in addition to these 24 municipalities. In spite of the
increase of the price of quinine treatments effected in 1918, the issues rose
by 27 per cent. Altogether 9,000 lbs of quinine were sold in this way to
retail purchasers, besides which about 1,200 lbs of quinine in tablet form
was issued by Government for free distribution among the poor by District
Boards, municipalities and officers of the Sanitary Department.
9. Influenza.—The influenza epidemic of 1918 continued during the
first half of the year, though in a less virulent form. Owing to deaths from it
being largely ascribed to fever, it is impossible to gauge with complete
accuracy the actual mortality, but the Sanitary Commissioner estimates that
the total number of deaths in 1919 may be roughly taken at 200,000 ; and
that the epidemic took a toll of nearly 600,000 lives in the two years. The
incidence of the disease was far from uniform. The Burdwan and Birbhum
districts appear to have suffered most severely, each probably losing an
aggregate of 3 per cent. of their population during the two years ; Bankura,
Nadia and Murshidabad each lost 2½ per cent. of their population ; in
Hooghly, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Midnapore and Chittagong the deaths
represent a loss of from 1.5 to 1.8 per cent. ; in Noakhali, Malda, Mymen-
singh. Pabna and Tippera the loss is rather over one per cent ; in Dacca,
Rajshahi and Khulna it is rather less than one per cent ; in Howrah, 24-Par-
ganas and Dinajpur it is about .7 per cent ; in Rangpur about .6 per cent. ;
in Bogra about .5 per cent. ; and in Jessore and Faridpur between .3 and .4
per cent. only.
10. Special enquiries.—A resolution on the progress of anti-hook worm
campaign was published on 31st May 1920, and it will be sufficient to state
here that valuable investigation work has been done, knowledge of the disease
and of its effects has been disseminated, and progress has been made in
establishing centres for diagnosis and treatment. An investigation into the
extent and causes of pollution of the water of the river Hooghly was com-
menced and special enquiry was made into the prevalence of kala azar in
the districts of Dacca and Mymensingh. In the Tangail subdivision in the
Mymensingh districts, it appears that there is a high rate of kala azar
infection, and the District Board has been urged to start a campaign against
the disease on systematic lines. In the Dacca district the result of the
enquiry is to show that a severe stage of infection has not yet been reached,
and it rests with the District Board to make a thorough survey of infected
areas and to arrange for treatment, which should not only prevent the further
spread of the disease but be effectual in eradicating it from the district.
11. Asansol Mines Board of Health.—The Governor in Council desires
to acknowledge the continued good work done by the Asansol Mines Board of