7
Twenty-eight municipalities returned decreased figures, the most outstand
ing being Madras ( — 3,656), Rajahmundry ( — 1,939), Vizianagram ( — 1,854),
Palacole(—667), Cannanore (—633), Cochin (— 622), Anakāpalle (-560),
Conjeeveram (—439), Ellore ( — 426), Virudhunagar ( — 354), Cuddapah
( — 308), Vizagapatam (
— 260), Chirala ( - 258) and Berhampur ( - 211).
With the exceptions of Madras, Rajahmundry, Cochin, Vizagapatam, Berhampur
and Pollāchi, every town employing a health officer showed improved figures
for total vaccination operations when compared with the previous year. This is
only as it should be, and should serve as a demonstration of improved adminis
tration to those towns which still decline to employ health officers.
In a large number of cases it has been reported that the decreased numbers
of vaccination operations are due to a fall in the incidence of small-pox and to
increased difficulty in finding unprotected cases consequent on the clearing off
of accumulated arrears in previous years. The first reason may be accepted,
but it is doubtful if the second is correct. Such excuses for the falling off in
vaccination figures as "absence of the vaccinator for two months without a
substitute "are entirely unacceptable, and, moreover, give a clear indication of
indifferent administration.
(2) The maximum and minimum success rates per mille of population were
192.4 in Madura and 13.3 in Tadpatri. The high figure recorded in Madura is
due to the large numbers of vaccinations performed during the severe epidemic of
small-pox which raged there for over three months. Rates below 35 per mille,
which are clear evidence of poor work, were recorded in the following towns :—
Villupuram (34.8), Chirala (33.8), Conjeeveram (33.4), Rajahmundry (33.2),
Palni (33.1), Walajapet (32.7), Gudiyāttam (32.0), Chittoor (31.7), Tellicherry
(31.6), Māyavaram (31.2), Tenali (30.7), Karur (30.5), Proddatūr (30.1), Vizaga
patam (29.5), Nellore (28.2), Virudhunagar (27.1), Erode (26.7), Mannārgudi
(25.0), Tiruvalūr (23.9), Cuddapah (20.2), Palacole (18.9), Chidambaram (16.2).
With the exception of Rajahmundry and Vizagapatam, none of the towns in
this list have Health Officers, and, as a result, no effective supervision of
vaccinators' work can be made. The Municipal Councils concerned should take
the lesson to heart.
(3) The recorded percentage of successful infantile vaccinations to total
births ranged from 17.4 in Chidambaram to 100.0 in Tirupati. The latter figure
is obviously impossible, and the returns submitted must have been wrongly
prepared.
The infantile vaccination rates submitted by the municipalities of Chidam
baram (17.4), Guntūr (25.6), Cuddapah (27.5), Nellore (33.01) and Karūr (37.1)
are very unsatisfactory. The Health Officer of Guntūr states that the low figure
is partly due to the high infantile death rate; but, in the other towns, imperfect
registration of births and lack of supervision of the work of the vaccinators are
responsible. The Municipal Councils concerned should take the necessary steps
in the near future to rectify these defects if they wish to avoid small-pox
epidemics. The Medical Officers in charge should also be instructed to give more
time to this part of their duties.
The rates for individual towns, compared with those of the previous year, are
given in Annexure B.
21. The following table gives the total number of vaccination operations
performed by all agencies during the year compared with the corresponding
figures for 1925-26:—
Primary and secondary vaccination ...
Re-vaccination ... ... ... ...
Total ...
1925-26.
1,499,278
465,748
1,965,026
1926-27.
1,493,021
455,04
1,948,062
The small decrease of 16,964 is almost equally divided between the two
classes of operations.