Short Notes on Vaccination in Bengal
for the year 1926-27.
As the Officer in charge of Vaccina-
tion in the Provincial Public Health
Department, I have the honour to sub-
mit the following brief report on vacci-
nation in Bengal during the year 1926-
27. In furtherance of the policy of ex-
pansion of local self-government, the
entire provincial vaccination establish-
ment of Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors
was transferred to the District Boards
(except Darjeeling) with the close of the
year for future direct administration and
control, the Local Government having
agreed to meet the whole estimated cost
at Rs. 95 a month for an Inspector and
at Rs. 65 a month for a Sub-Inspector.
Due to the employment of all available
qualified Sanitary Inspectors for the
ruarl Public Health organisation, re-
cruitment for the Vaccination Branch is
practically suspended, nor is it desired
to keep such a separate branch service
permanently alive, in view of the provi-
sion of thana health circles throughout
the province, except the Darjeeling dis-
trict and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
When the scheme for a rural public
health organisation is in full operation,
it will be unnecessary to provide sepa-
rately for the inspection of vaccination
alone, as the duties of the rural Assis-
tant Health Officers and Sanitary Ins-
pectors include such vaccination work.
But District Board will still be requir-
ed to maintain their complement of pub-
lic vaccinators in addition to the rural
Circle Health Assistants. The cost of
of such establishments will be met from
the present annual district provisions
for public health including vaccination,
which will be increasingly relieved by
the general public health organisation,
the whole cost of which, estimated at
twelve lakhs of rupees per annum. will
be borne by provincial revenues.
2. Strength of Staff.—Because
of
the provision of vaccinators, whether
salaried or licensed, from the very
origin of the
Provincial Sanitary
Departments, it has been customary to
report the strength of the vaccination
staff employed annually, with its suc-
cessive variations. But with the gene-
ral amalgamation of vaccination with
public health and the provision of gene-
ral health staffs, both in rural and in
municipal areas, it will no longer be
useful to record the numbers of vaccina-
tors and inspectors employed in Bengal,
without giving an erroneous impres-
sion. During the year 1926-27, the
number of Vaccination Inspectors em-
ployed in rural areas increased to 143,
against 137 during the previous year,
the District Boards of the 24-Parganas,
Jalpaiguri
and
Dinajpur
having
appointed additional Inspectors. The
aggregate number of vaccinators em-
ployed by District Boards was 1,596 in
1926-27, against 1,555
in 1925-26.
Mufassal Municipalities (Dacca and
South
Suburban)
employed
two
Inspectors, against 4 in the prece-
ding year. The Corporation of Calcutta
retained the same number of Inspectors
(16) as in the preceding year, while only
a female vaccinator was added to the
number of vaccinators (58) entertained.
Two special Inspectors—one for Wes-
tern and the other for Eastern Bengal—
were
retained
by the
Provincial
Department for assistance in executive
and research work.
3. General Vaccination Statistics.—
During the year 1926-27, a provincial
aggregate of 3,278,581
vaccinations
were performed on 3,276.975 persons,
against 3,030,178
vaccinations
on
3,028,136 persons during the preceding
year, yielding an increase of 248,403
vaccinations, or 8.2 per cent. The total
number was divided between primary
and re-vaccinations in the proportion of
1,741,801 (53.1 per cent.) and 1,536,780
(46.9 per cent.) during 1926-27, against
1,751,091 and 1,279,087
respectively
during 1925-26. Comparing
the two
years, primary vaccinations decreased
by 9,290 (.53 per cent.), while re-vacci-
nations increased by 257,693 (20.1 per
cent.). Each
vaccinator
averaged
1,761 vaccinations during
1926-27,
against 1,713 during 1925-26. Vacci-
nation was reported to have been suc-
cessful in 95.1 per cent. of the primary
and 52.09 per cent. of the re-vaccination
cases in which the results. were known.