8
NOTES ON THE STATISTICS OF VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEAR 1896-97.
All districts show improvement in the percentages of success and a decline
in the average cost of each successful case, except Hanthawaddy, Thôngwa, and
Toungoo where the percentage of success fell from 97.62, 93.68, and 86.47 in
1895-96 to 75.36, 93.35 and 86.47 in the year of report. In Akyab, Hanthawaddy,
Prome, and Tavoy the cost of each successful case was slightly higher than that
of the previous year.
23. Vaccination in Rangoon Town.—(a) The total number of persons vacci-
nated within the municipal limits in the year of report was 20,647 as against 35,401
in 1895-96 and 49,003 in 1894-95. This shows a steady decline in the number of
operations since 1894-95. The falling off in the year under report has been
attributed by the Health Officer to the fact that in August last the compulsory
adult vaccination which generally contributes by far the largest proportion of
operations was prohibited by the order of the President of the Municipal Com-
mittee, and that owing to this order practically no vaccinations were performed on
adults during the remaining seven or eight months of the year. The President's
order was based upon the death of a mali of the German Club from tetanus follow-
ing vaccination and which was supposed to be a complication of the operation.
The Health Officer, however, does not admit that tetanus was due to vaccination.
The attack, he says, was brought about by the indiscretion of the patient himself,
who is said to have covered the vaccination vesicles with a paste made of some
sort of leaves and earth. The earth generally, and the garden earth in particular,
being the normal habitat of the bacillus of tetanus. it is easy to conceive that the
application of a paste such as described above to any wound is liable to produce
the same results. The President's order has produced such a scare in the popular
mind that, notwithstanding all the efforts on the part of the vaccinators, no adult
coolies who keep constantly pouring into Rangoon in large numbers could be per-
suaded to submit to the operation.
(b) Of the total number of operations performed 15,054 were primary and
5,593 re-vaccinations as against 18,713 and 16,688 respectively in 1895-96.
(c) Infant vaccination.—Of the total of 1,869 infants under one year of age
1,724 were vaccinated and all proved successful.
(d) The percentages of success in primary and re-vaccinations were 90.07
and 58.27 respectively. The comparatively small percentage in primary vacci-
nation is explained by the Health Officer to be due to the adult primary vacci-
nation being included with the primary operations of children and infants. Doubt-
ful cases should not be classed as primary.
(e) The total cost of the establishment and the average cost of each success-
ful case amounted to Rs. 5,133-7-8 and Annas 4-11 as against Rs. 6,229-4-4 and
Annas 3-4 in 1895-96. Thus it is seen that, although the total cost was less than
in the previous year, yet owing to the smaller number of operations and conse-
quently smaller number of successful cases the cost of each successful case was
Annas 1-7 more than in the previous year.
24. The Vaccination Act was extended during the year to the towns of
Kyaikto, Gyobingauk, and Letpadan.
UPPER BURMA.
25. Statement I.—The total number of persons vaccinated was 126,464 as
against 115,703 in the previous year. Of these 123,520 were primary operations
and 2,944 were re-vaccinations, the corresponding figures for 1895-96 being
113,778 and 1,925 respectively.
26. With the exception of Minbu, Bhamo, Katha, Northern Shan States,
and Lower Chindwin, which show a decrease of 1,833, 1,392, 1,006, 202, and 45
respectively, all districts show an increase in comparison with the figures for the
year before. The falling off in Minbu is comparatively large and is attributed by
the Superintendent of Vaccination to the following causes :—
(1) the illness of the district vaccinator which incapacitated him for
work for over three months ;
(2) the absence of small-pox from the district;
(3) the emigration of the people to Lower Burma on account of scar-
city.