7
Ootacamund and Pollachi with increases ranging from 500 to 700. The largest
decreases were returned by Madras (—39,382), Vizagapatam (—5,752), Ongole
(—3,160), Rajahmundry (— 2,584), Calicut (—1,967), Guntūr (—1,768), Nellore
(—1,563), Cuddapah (—1,401) and Masulipatam (—1,089). These eight
municipal towns alone more than account for the decrease of 56,234 operations
in 1925-26, but smallpox was epidemic in them all during the previous year.
(2) The rate of successful vaccinations per mille of population ranged from
15.2 in Chidambaram to 122.6 in Madura. Rates below 35 to 40 per mille may be
taken as an indication that vaccination work is unsatisfactory. The following
municipal towns come under this category : —
Chidambaram (15.2), Tadpatri (15.9), Tenali (23.5,) Tirupati (23.7), Karur
(23.8), Hindupur (24.2), Cuddapah (25 3), Nellore (26.0), Anantapur (26.4), Erode
(26.9), Tiruvālūr (27.1), Gudiyāttam (28.8), Palni (30.2), Vāniyambādi (30.4),
Mannārgudi (30.4), Conjeeveram (31.9), Māyavaram (32.0), Villupuram (33.2)
and Chittoor (33.5).
It is to be noted that not one of these towns employs a Health Officer.
In the circumstances, the entire responsibility rests with the municipal councils
which should take immediate steps to overhaul this branch of Public Health
Administration.
(3) The recorded percentage of successfuli nfantile vaccinations in 1925-26
to total births ranged from 24.8 in Chidambaram to 99.2 in Adōni. Ten
other municipalities, viz., Bodinayakkanūr, Ellore, Manuārgudi, Nandyal, Pollachi,
Tinnevelly, Tiruppur, Vellore, Salem and Sivakāsi also returned percentages over
90. In these eleven towns, the infantile mortality rates vary from 100 to 205, so
that infantile vaccination rates of 90 to 100 per cent are obviously impossible.
Either the births are understated, or the returns have been wrongly prepared.
The medical officers in charge of vaccination should make necessary investigations
and rectify matters.
From Annexure B, it will be noticed that no less than 18 towns record
infantile vaccination rates below 50 per cent of the births, the worst cases
being those of Chidambaram, Kurnool and Cuddapah where the figure is less than
30 per cent. It is evident that, in these municipalities, even primary vaccination
is greatly neglected. The immediate attention of the medical officers in charge
should be drawn to the deficiencies.
15. The statistics of vaccination operations performed in the triennium under
report are compared in the following table with the corresponding figures for the
previous triennium:—
Triennium ending 1922-23.
1920-21.
1,388,598
179,672
1,568,270
1921-22.
1,298,094
176,625
1,474,719
1922-23.
1,436,041
325,583
1,761,624
Total for
the
triennium.
4,122,733
681,880
4,804,613
Primary
and second
ary
vac
cination.
Re-vacci¬
nation.
Triennium ending 1925-26.
1923-24.
1,565,706
346,859
1,912,565
1924-26.
1,578,032
460,965
2,033,997
1925-26.
1,499,278
465,748
1,965,026
Total for
the
triennium.
4,638,016
1,273,572
5,011,588
The District Health Scheme, inaugurated as an experimental measure in five
districts in 1922-23, was extended to all districts in the first year of triennium
under review. The progressive annual increase in the number of vaccine
operations since 1921-22, and the total increase of 1,106,975 cases in the present
triennium, are due to the increased activity of the Public Health Department.
16. The results for primary and secondary vaccinations and for re-vaccina
tions performed by the different agencies during the triennium under report are
set forth in the following statement.