Short Notes on Vaccination in Bengal
for the year 1923-24.
I have the honour to submit the follow-
ing- brief notes on vaccination in Bengal
for the year 1923-24 :
2. Officer in charge of the Depart-
ment.—During my absence on leave,
Dr. B. B. Brahmachari was in charge
of the Vaccination and Vital Statistics
Bureau in addition to his own duties as
Assistant Director of Public Health of
the Presidency Circle throughout the
year, except for the month of April
1923, when Dr. G. L. Batra was simi-
larly in additional charge.
3. Strength of staff.—The number of
inspecting officers employed in Calcutta
during 1923-24 was the same (14) as in
1922-23 and that of the vaccinators
was 49 against 48 in the latter year. In
the rural areas of the Presidency, the
number of Assistant Superintendents of
Vaccination (133) remained unaltered
during the year but the number of vacci-
nators decreased from 1,687 in 1922-23
to 1,437 during the year under review.
The decrease was due to the introduction
of the paid system of vaccination in all
districts. In mufassal municipalities,
dispensaries, etc., the number of inspect-
ing officers and vaccinators was 7 and
192 respectively against 6 and 148 during
the preceding year.
4. General Operations.—During the
year under review, the total number of
operations performed by all establish-
ments was 2,057,724 on 2,054,893 per-
sons against 2,006,140 on 2,001,948
during 1922-23, showing an increase of
51,584 or 2.5 per cent. operations. Of the
total number of operations 1,590,576 were
primary and 467,148 re-vaccinations
against 1,526,385 primary and 479,755
re-vaccinations during the previous
year. There was thus during the year
1923-24 an increase of 64,191 or 4.03 per
cent. in primary and a decrease of 12,607
or 2.9 per cent. in re-vaccinations. Each
vaccinator vaccinated on an average
1,210 persons during the year under re-
port against 1,044 during the preceding
year. Although there was an increase
in the total number of operations per-
formed in this Presidency during the
year under review as compared with the
preceding year, only 13 districts out of
28 actually showed an increase. The
increase was most conspicuous in My-
mensingh (54,892), Chittagong (20,840),
Noakhali (14,215), Burdwan (13,145),
Bogra (12,442), 24-Parganas (12,125),
Howrah (11,326), Bakarganj (10,240),
Tippera (7,541) and Dacca (5,647),
while in three other districts (viz., Dar-
jeeling, Rangpur and Birbhum) it was
below 5,000. In Mymensingh, the in-
crease was due to the introduction of
free vaccination and the appointment of
additional vaccinators who worked from
house to house in their respective juris-
dictions. Close supervision of the vacci-
nation work by the District Health
Officers and vigorous inspection by the
vaccination inspecting staff tended to
increase the number of operations in the
above districts. In Dacca, five licensed
vaccinators worked during the recess
time but during the season the District
Board saw the utility of free vaccination
and appointed paid vaccinators.
This
resulted in an increase of 8,958 primary
operations. Pabna, which showed an
increase of 19,436 in the total number of
operations during the previous year,
stood first this year in the roll of decrease
with 19,918 operations. Then comes
Rajshahi with 16,012 operations, Midna-
pur (15,378), Calcutta (13,116), Khulna
(12,299), Jessore (9,590), Faridpur (9,568),
Dinajpur (7,863), Malda (7,641), Ban-
kura (6,724) and Jalpaiguri (6,605);
while Nadia, Hooghly, Chittagong Hill
Tracts and Murshidabad recorded a de-
crease below 5,000.
The District Health Officers of Pabna,
Midnapur, Faridpur and Malda attri-
buted this decrease to the prevalence of
malaria from which the vaccinators as
well as the people of the locality suffer-
ed during the greater part of the sea-
son. Early onset of the hot season and
want of funds with some of the District
Boards, such as Jessore, Khulna, were
other factors to this cause. In primary