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SHORT NOTES ON VACCINATION FOR THE YEAR 1911-12.
THE following brief notes on vaccination for the year 1911-12 are for
Bengal as it stood before its reconstitution on the 1st April 1912.
2. Officer in charge of the Department.—I was in charge of the Depart-
ment throughout the year.
Bengal and Orissa Circle.—Captain H. M. Brown, I.M.S., was in charge
from 23rd May 1911 to the end of the year. I held charge of the current
duties of the office from 1st April to 22nd May 1911.
Bihar and Chota Nagpur Circle.—Captain W. C. Ross, I.M.S., held charge
of the circle throughout the year, except for three months from 27th June to
27th September 1911, during which he was on privilege leave. I was in
charge of the current duties of the office during this period.
3. Strength of staff.—In Calcutta the number of inspecting officers and
operators was 7 and 44 against 7 and 38 during 1910-11. In the Provincial
rural areas and mufassal municipalities and dispensaries, etc., the inspecting
staff and operators numbered 143 and 1,586, and 8 and 170 against 140 and
1,582, and 8 and 173, respectively, in the previous year. The increase of 3
inspecting officers is accounted for by the (a) inclusion of 4 vaccinators
attached to the Animal Vaccine Depôt, Calcutta, in the cadre of the inspect-
ing staff; (b) creation of an additional Sub-Inspectorship of Vaccination in
the Palamau district ; and (c) the abolition of the posts of the Inspector in
charge of the Darjeeling Animal Vaccine Depôt and the Special Inspector of
Vaccination, Orissa.
4. General operations.—The total number of operations performed in the
Province during the past year was 2,054,756, the number of persons
vaccinated being 2,040,693. Out of the total cases, 1,974,927 were primary
and 79,829 revaccination, against 1,929,222 and 105,908 during 1910-11.
There was thus an increase of 45,705 primary cases, while there was a
decrease of 26,079 in revaccinations due to smaller prevalence of small-pox
as compared with the previous year. The ratio of success under the two
different heads in rural areas and municipalities amounted to 99.29 and
60.12, and 98.49 and 58.71, against 99.09 and 63.47 and 98.38 and 57.82,
respectively, in 1910-11.
Compared with the previous year, there was an increase of operations
in 17 and a decrease in 16 districts. The increase is specially noticeable
in the following districts :—
Khulna ... ... ... ...
Cuttack ... ... ... ...
Balasore ... ... ... ...
17,486
14,823
6,317
The principal decrease occurred in 6 districts, viz., Ranchi 8,986,
Midnapore 8,016, Sonthal Parganas 6,297, Purnea 4,908, Singhbhum 4,570.
and Hazaribagh 4,146.
The increase in Khulna is said to be due to the employment of a larger
staff of vaccinators, while in Cuttack and Balasore it is attributed to the
zeal shown by the inspecting staff in pushing on vaccination and also to
better health in the latter district. The decrease in Ranchi seems to be due
to much less prevalence of small-pox as compared with the previous year,
while the Civil Surgeon of Midnapore attributes the decrease to stopping of
issue of notices by the additional District Magistrate to defaulters in
vaccination. The practice of issuing notices for some years past contributed
to rapid increase in vaccination in the district, but it has been stopped as
being illegal. The Civil Surgeon of Sonthal Parganas has not furnished any
reason for the decrease which is probably due to the slackness of the inspect-
ing staff, one of whom has been dismissed for gross irregularities and
misconduct. In Purnea the decrease is due to much smaller number of
revaccinations performed as compared with the previous year when there
was greater prevalence of small-pox. Illness of vaccinators causing break in
work accounts for the decrease in Singhbhum and Hazaribagh.