2
NOTES AND STATISTICS ON VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEAR 1912-13.
The average cost of each successful operation was Re. 0-7-3 against Re. 0-7-5
in 1911-12. There were 19,756 more operations than in the previous year, and
these cost Rs. 4,895-2-11, or Re. 0-4-0 per successful case.
A low average cost per successful operation was obtained by Magwe
District Re. 0-2-8, Sagaing Re. 0-2-10, Katha Re. 0-3-2, Myingyan Re. 0-3-6,
Minbu Re. 0-3-6, Amherst Re. 0-4-3, Tharrawaddy Re. 0-4-7, Ma-ubin Re. 0-4-8
and an excessively high average was reached by Hanthawaddy District (Syriam)
with Rs. 1-9-8, Ruby Mines Rs. 1-9-7, Northern Shan States Rs. 1-8-6, Insein
District Rs. 1-3-11, Pyapôn District Rs. 1-2-6. A reference to column 7, State-
ment I will show that a high average cost is correlated with a small total outturn
of work, and a low average number of operations per vaccinator, while the reverse
also holds good.
Statement
III.
7. Dispensary Vaccination.—A total number of 10,705 operations was
performed at Dispensaries, of which 5,968 were primary operations, with a success
ratio of 95.47, and 4,737 re-vaccination, with a success ratio of 55.79. There
was an increase of 87 in the successful cases in primary vaccination over the
previous year's record, and in re-vaccination of 235 successful cases.
8. Vaccination in Jails.—This is not shown in any of the statements. The
total operations were 26,864 in an average population of 16,334, against 26,439
operations in 1911-12, an increase of 425. Primary vaccination (3,391 operations)
gave a success ratio of 86.46 per cent., and re-vaccination (23,473 operations) of
65.22 per cent.
Jail vaccination is an important element in the total protection from Small-
pox afforded by the Vaccination Department during the year. The 18,241
successful operations performed in Jails in 1912-13, constituted a by no means
inconsiderable fraction (about one-twenty-sixth) of the whole outturn of the
Province. I therefore view with disfavour the proposals recently under considera-
tion by the Government of India for exempting a large section of Jail inmates
from compulsory vaccination—believing that such exemption will be detrimental to
the safety of the prisoners as a whole, and will further tend to greatly reduce the
effect of what is now a very useful object lesson for the instruction of the labour-
ing classes of this Province in the value of vaccination. Small-pox is at present
practically unknown in Jails and the reason is obvious to all. This will cease to
be the case if the existing safe-guards are removed.
Statement
V.
9. Verification.— There is great variety in the quantity of verification
work performed by different Civil Surgeons, the percentages ranging from 71.61
per cent., and 3,779 primary operations, in the case of the Civil Surgeon,
Sandoway, to Nil in Pyapôn, and 48 per cent. and 47 operations in Prome.
The average percentage of verification by Civil Surgeons was 16.45 in primary
operations but only 14.39 on total operations, and by Native Superintendents
53.23 in primary operations. The Civil Surgeons of Myaungmya, Sandoway,
Magwe, Thatôn and Thayetmyo, deserve special credit for the interest taken
in vaccination by them, and for the amount of labour put into supervision. Per
contra we have the all but vanished record of the Civil Surgeon, Prome (47
primary cases verified) who has apparently striven to direct the Vaccination Staff
of his district from his headquarters office, without personal supervision. The
pressure of work at headquarters can hardly be held to authorize a complete rele-
gation of personal supervision of vaccination to the Native Superintendent. Still
less excuse is apparent for the 3.64 per cent. and 655 primary operations verified
by the Civil Surgeon of Tharrawaddy District, where the duties at headquarters
are light, out of a total of 18,014 recorded. The wide-spread and fatal outbreaks
of Small-pox which have overrun these two last-named districts during the last
two years are an eloquent testimony to the folly of trusting to paper returns
furnished by subordinates, in lieu of personal supervision. Both in Tharrawaddy
District and in the adjoining district of Insein it is reported that there are many
large and small villages which have not been visited by vaccinators for years, or
by a Civil Surgeon within living memory. The Commissioner, Pegu Division, in a
marginal note to the Annual Sanitary Report of that district remarks " According
to paragraph I(d) the vaccinators visited 731 out of 883 villages, yet I con-
stantly see complaints in Subdivisional Officers' diaries that vaccinators have not
visited certain villages for years. There appears to be little or no control over
the work done." Other sources of information indicate that the amount of