( 2 )
General operations.
(Statement I.)
5. During the year under review 1,615,558 persons were vaccinated—
1,615,311 by the special (district) staff, 184 by the
dispensary staff and 63 by other agencies, i. e. private
medical practitioners—against 1,643,549 in the preceding year, a decrease of
27,991. The number of vaccinations performed in 1915-16 was also smaller than
that of the previous year by 26,017, the actual numbers being 1,628,367 and
1,654,384. The decrease occurred both in primary operations (19,911) and
re-vaccinations (6,106), 1,523,656 primary operations and 104,711 re-vaccinations
having been performed against 1,543,567 and 110,817 respectively in the preceding
year. The number of secondary operations rose from 10,835 in 1914-15 to 12,809
in 1915-16, an increase of 1,974. The number and percentage of successful
primary cases in which the results were known were 1,464,903 and 97.34 and those
of successful re-vaccinations 71,540 and 74.46 in 1915-16 as compared with
1,482,778, 97.35, 73,295, and 71.76 respectively in 1914-15. Each vaccinator
vaccinated on an average 1,829 persons in 1915-16 as compared with 1,784 in the
preceding year, whereas the number of persons successfully vaccinated per 1,000
of population was 32.81 and 33.22 respectively.
Thus there was a decrease under all the heads shown above except in the
percentage of successful re-vaccinations in which the results were known and in
the average number of persons vaccinated by each vaccinator.
In a few districts such as Hardoi the decrease was due to the prevalence of
epidemics such as cholera or plague or both. In some it is said to be due to
fewer persons being available for re-vaccination on account of war or to low birth-
rate or to low incidence of small-pox and no work having been consequently done
in April to September.
I consider that the results are unsatisfactory and that all district board
vaccinators should perform 2,000 vaccinations in a year. District superintendents
of vaccination must in future see that more thorough work is carried out by
vaccinators. The birth-rate in municipalities has increased and the vaccination
results should be correspondingly improved.
Successful primary vaccination
in different districts.
(Statement I.)
6. In 22 districts out of 48, the number of successful primary operations
performed in 1915-16 was in excess of that for the
preceding year. Of these, Shahjahanpur stands first
with an increase of 3,664. Bahraich comes next with 3.324. Then in order come
Meerut with 3,118, Farrukhabad with 2,933, Azamgarh with 2,820, Bulandshahr
with 2,666 and Sitapur with 2,592. Among the 26 districts showing a falling off
as compared with 1914-15, the most conspicuous are Hardoi with a decrease of
9,916, Jhansi with 6,226, Bareilly with 4,568, Gonda with 4,086, Basti with 2,560
and Ghazipur with 2,345.
Successful vaccination
and
degree of protection afforded.
(Statement I.)
7. During 1915-16 the number of persons successfully vaccinated per 1,000
of population exceeded the provincial average (32.81)
in 25 districts and in 21 it exceeded that of 1914-15
against 20 and 34 respectively in the preceding
year. Though only 75.39 persons were successfully vaccinated per mille of
population in Garhwal against 77.15 in the preceding year, yet it easily stands
first on the list of the best protected districts and is followed by Almora with
68.98, Naini Tal with 47.04. Hamirpur with 45.38, Jalaun with 41.96 and Ballia
with 40.52. The least protected districts are Bara Banki (23.11), Sultanpur
(24.43), Rae Bareli, (25.37) and Farrukhabad (25.88). Of all these districts
Almora, Jalaun, Ballia, Bara Banki and Farrukhabad show an improvement
over the preceding year.
Vaccination in proportion to
births and according to age.
8. The percentage of successful vaccinations in proportion to births shows
a steady improvement since 1914-15 and was 50.01
for children under one year of age, 19.97 for. children
between the ages of one and six years and 71.94 for all age periods in 1915-16
against 48.48, 19.96 and 70.45 respectively in the preceding year.
On comparing the figures of the different ranges, it is found that in the first
range the number of children under one year of age successfully vaccinated in
1915-16 per 100 births was 63.55 against 60.61 in the preceding year. In the
second range the percentages were 38.90 and 40.11, in the 3rd range 51.72 and
48.73 and in the fourth range 43.05 and 40.76 respectively.