2
No. 1703-P.H., 21ST AUGUST 1928
The number of children successfully vaccinated increased from 639,827 to
689,422. Some doubt is thrown, however, upon the absolute correctness of these
totals by the Director of Public Health who reports that the figures relating to
infantile vaccination appear to be incorrect in the case of Tirupati and eight other
municipalities. The attention of the municipal councils concerned is invited to
the remarks of the Director of Public Health in paragraph 18 (3) of his report
and they are requested, if the Director's suspicions are well founded, to exercise
greater care and supervision in the preparation of their returns.
4. The number of first-class vaccinators employed by local bodies rose from
195 to 208 and of second-class vaccinators from 432 to 459 during the year under
review. The number of probationers again declined from 128 to 100. The
Director of Public Health considers that if a satisfactory standard of work is to
be reached, more first-class vaccinators should be appointed and the disbandment
of probationers should be accelerated. The Government trust that local bodies
will cease to employ unqualified men and succeed in recruiting more first-class
vaccinators by offering them reasonable salaries. The strength of the inspection
staff has also been increased during the year under report by the appointment of
a District Health Officer and four Health Inspectors for the new district of West
Gōdāvari. The Government have also sanctioned the employment of seventeen
additional Health Inspectors for the plains and one for the Agencies with effect
from the current year. Four new municipalities have been provided with Health
Officers and six districts have been provided with Assistant District Health
Officers.
5. Vaccination is reported to be compulsory only in nine districts in the
presidency viz., West Gōdāvari, Kistna, Nellore, Tanjore, Trichinopoly, Rāmnād,
South Kanara, South Arcot (except in the hill villages of Kallakurichi Taluk)
and in all villages with a population of over 1,000 in the Bellary District. The
Director of Public Health considers that, as smallpox continues to appear from
time to time in epidemic form in most districts, it is desirable that vaccination
should be made compulsory throughout the presidency. The Government trust
that the district boards other than those referred to above will consider the
desirability of enforcing compulsory vaccination within their districts. Even in
the districts where vaccination is declared compulsory, the Director of Public
Health complains that local boards are reluctant to take action against defaulters.
The attention of the presidents of the local boards concerned is drawn to the
instances quoted in paragraph 12 of the report and they are requested to
sanction prosecutions in the case of all defaulters or to delegate to the District
Health Officers their powers to sanction the prosecution of vaccination offences.
The District Health Officer, South Kanara, reports that some magistrates are
inclined to regard vaccination offences as trivial and are unwilling to inflict
deterrent fines. The attention of all District Magistrates is invited to this
attitude which may not be confined to a single district.
6. The Director of Public Health has again urged the desirability of placing
the administration of vaccination in rural areas under the control of district
boards. This suggestion will be considered in connexion with the Bill to amend
the Madras Local Boards Act recently circulated for opinion. The Director of
Public Health also complains that effective preventive work is still being retarded
by delays on the part of village officers to give prompt intimation of the outbreak
of smallpox to the health staff. The Government have already requested all
Collectors in G.O. No. 1415-P.H., dated 13th August 1927, to issue strict
instructions to their subordinate officers to ensure the despatch of immediate
information to the Public Health Officers regarding the outbreak of smallpox.
All Collectors, particularly those of South Arcot, Coimbatore, Ganjām, Guntūr,
Kistna, South Kanara and Trichinopoly districts, are requested to see that such
delays as are instanced by the Director of Public Health do not recur in future.
7. Lieut.-Col. Russell lays stress on the fact that when smallpox is epidemic
unprotected persons and adults who have never been revaccinated are most liable
to infection and recommends that revaccination should temporarily be made
compulsory in infected areas so as to reduce, as far as possible, the incidence of