( 3 )
Statement No IV.—Work done
during past 18 years.
13. A fewer number of operations have been performed during the
season under report than in any one of the past four
seasons. This is not, however, an indication that
there has been general slackness on the part of the
Vaccination staff. I have in paragraph 4 already referred to the cause of
decrease.
Statement No. V.—Inspections
made by the officers of the Depart-
ment.
14. The total number of vaccine operations was 114,029 primary and
15,391 re-vaccinations as compared with 133,022 and
23,043 respectively in the previous season. The
Civil Surgeons inspected 2,595 operations, of which
94.72 primary and 66.96 re-vaccinations per cent
were found successful. These results are fairly good. The inspection work
done by Divisional Inspectors and Superintendents of Vaccination as compared
with the previous season is as follows :—
1917-18 ...
1916-17 ...
BY DIVISIONAL INSPECTORS.
Primary.
31,686
35,479
Re-vaccination.
1,495
2,996
BY SUPERINTENDENTS OF
VACCINATION.
Primary.
84,124
104,398
Re-vaccination.
10,185
16,416
The percentage of inspections by Divisional Inspectors of the total
number vaccinated was 27.78 primary and 97.13 re-vaccinations, and that by
the Superintendents 73.77 primary and 66.17 re-vaccinations. The percentage
of cases found successful of the total number inspected was 97.53 primary and
69.69 re-vaccinations in the case of Divisional Inspectors and 98.85 primary and
90.93 re-vaccinations in that of Superintendents.
Appendix A.—Vaccination in
Municipal towns
15. In Nowshera Kalan and Kohat 251 and 494 births were recorded
during the year and 330 and 682 vaccination opera-
tions respectively were performed on children under
one year. The reason of this is probably threefold—
(1) that a large number of the people from the neighbouring country have their
children vaccinated in these towns ; (2) the wandering population going to and
coming from trans-border districts frequently bring their children for vaccina-
tion ; and (3) the exceedingly unsatisfactory way in which birth registration is
carried out in certain wards.
Children from Khagan, Konsh and Bhogarmang Valley are frequently
vaccinated in Abbottabad and Haripur, with the result that here also the
number of vaccinations under one year exceed the registered births.
The Vaccination Act is not in force in Peshawar District nor in Lakki
Notified Area. I am very doubtful if it is advisable to introduce or
enforce the Vaccination Act with any degree of strictness in this Province.
The people must learn here, as elsewhere, by experience the advantages of
vaccination. If strongly enforced and no fortuitous small-pox occurred at the
same time, I think it more than possible that the popularity of vaccination
would suffer.
Appendix B.—Successful vacci-
nation with annual ratio of deaths
from small-pox.
16. In Appendix B are shown the number of successful vaccinations
and the mortality from small-pox per thousand of
population for the past five years ; the latter will be
seen to have decreased in almost all the districts. It
is a matter for congratulation that no deaths from
small-pox were registered in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts.
Only 5 cases were registered in Hazara, 12 in Kohat, 22 in Peshawar and 24
in Mardan.
Particulars of lymph used.
17. Throughout the year the lymph used has been glycerinated chloro-
form lymph procured from the Vaccine Institute,
Punjab, which has given good results. Last year
2,896 tubes at a cost of Rs. 2,057-7-0 were obtained. The average number of
vaccinations performed with each tube varies from 36.00 to 68.97.