TRIENNIAL REPORT ON VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEAR 1914-15 TO 1916-17.
7
Appendix B
5. Infant vaccination in towns. — In 57 towns where vaccination is com-
pulsory under the Act of 1880, against 21,583 reported survivors of registered births
21,698 infants were successfully vaccinated in 1916-17. Eighteen towns return
a considerably higher number of successful infant vaccinations than there were
survivors of registered births—notably Akyab, Pegu, Nyaunglebin, Gyobingauk
Kyaiklat, Moulmein, Mandalay, Pakôkku, Minbu, Magwe, Yamèthin, Pyinmana
and Myingyan. The usual explanation of this anomaly is that these successful
cases include infants brought into the town from rural areas for vaccination, or
vaccinated by the town vaccinators outside urban limits. Many instances point
to defective registration of births as the correct explanation.
Several towns have done better than in the past in vaccinating a large
proportion of the surviving infants; among them Prome, Paungdè, Tavoy,
Yenangyaung may be specially mentioned. A low proportion of available infants
was vaccinated at Sandoway, Syriam, Thôngwa, Letpadan, Yandoon, Kyangin,
Myaungmya, Wakèma and Thatôn.
Statement
III.
6. Dispensary vaccination.—During the last triennium there were 14,649
fewer vaccinations in Dispensaries than in the preceding triennium, the aggregates
being for 1911—14, 26,287, and for 1914—17, 11,638. No less than 20,000 of the
operations returned for the earlier period were performed during the small-pox
outbreak of 1911 and 1912. The magnitude of the vaccination work done at
dispensaries is directly dependent on the degree of prevalence of small-pox.
Primary operations in the two successive periods numbered 15,327 and 7,473
respectively, and revaccinations 10,962 and 4,186. The percentage success
obtained in primary operations was the same in the two periods (95 per cent.),
while the revaccination success ratio was 57 per cent. in the earlier and 69 per
cent. in the later period.
Dispensary Vaccination in 1916-17 shows a slight decline on that of 1915-16
in both primary and revaccinations, but an advance on 1914-15 in primary
operations.
Statement V
7. Vaccination in jails.—These operations, which are compulsory, are not
included in the totals of Statement I. In 1916-17 the total number of persons
vaccinated was 24,388, including 2,274 primary operations with a success ratio
of 82.28 per cent. and 22,114 revaccinations with one of 57.29 per cent.
8. Verification of results of Vaccination.—It would amply suffice for the
maintenance of a proper check on the returns of the Vaccination staff for rural
areas if a District Civil Surgeon could inspect annually 10 per cent. or even less
of the primary operations performed by his staff, provided that a proper system
of verification were applied to ensure that the work as a whole was truly sampled.
This would involve the selection and visitation by him each year of different areas,
scattered throughout the district, without the foreknowledge of any subordinate
of the staff. Owing to various disabilities this is rarely done. The District Civil
Surgeon ordinarily visits the same places year by year, and too often sees in
successive years many of the same subjects, while the unprotected children are
hurried into the background and escape detection and operation.
In 1914-15 Civil Surgeons claimed to have inspected 17.22 per cent. of all
primary vaccinations , in 1915-16 11.82 per cent., and in 1916-17, 12.50 per cent.,
while Native Superintendents verified in the three successive years respectively
54.68 per cent., 49.09 per cent. and 55.26 per cent. The record is satisfactory as a
whole, but the detailed verification statement reveals that in some districts verifi-
cation by a responsible officer was lamentably deficient. In Rangoon Municipality
the Health Officer and his senior assistants personally verified in the three years,
successively 3.05 per cent., 11.06 and 12.51 per cent. of primary opera-
tions. Even the last ratio, which shows an improvement in 1916-17, indicates
that too large a share of the final control of results is relegated to subordinates.
In Myaungmya the Civil Surgeon in 1915-16 saw only 1.65 per cent. of primary
operations. In Kyaukpyu in the same year the percentage inspected by the
Civil Surgeon was 4.67, Ma-ubin 5.92, Mergui 1.38, Toungoo 3.34, Bhamo 1.29,
Shwebo 3.16. In 1916-17 the ratio for Kyaukpyu was only 2.47, Bassein 0.91,
Mergui 3.81, Henzada 3.72, Shwebo 3.41, Thayetmyo 3.70. On the other hand,
in Kyauksè in the latter year the Civil Surgeon verified 24.84 per cent. of primary
operations, in Lower Chindwin 48.67 per cent., in Minbu 51.18 per cent. The
claims of the jail at Headquarters on the Civil Surgeon's time and attention are
represented as presenting an insuperable obstacle to his touring except for short
distances and at rare intervals, and this is perhaps true of the Central Jails—but the
difficulty is no doubt sometimes exaggerated in the case of the smaller jails; one
of which for instance exists at Mônywa, and did not prevent the Superintendent,
who is Civil Surgeon of Lower Chindwin District, from verifying 5,684 primary
cases, nearly 50 per cent. of the vaccination work performed in the District.
Statement II
9. Strength of Vaccination Establishment.— The strength of the establish-
ment stood at the end of 1913-14 as 44 Native Superintendents and 278