2
NOTES ON THE STATISTICS OF VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEAR 1896-97.
Sandoway... ... ...
Tharrawaddy... ... ...
Tavoy... ... ...
Myaungmya... ... ... ...
Mergui... ... ... ...
Increase.
2,306
1,702
1,600
1,520
1,355
8. The number of operations on infants and on children under six years of
age is respectively 22,753 and 16,198 in excess of that of the preceding year,
which is so far satisfactory. But, taking the birth-rate at only 30 per mille so as
to exclude such as die in early infancy, and the population at 4,252,030 by doubl-
ing the number of females within the area under registration in Lower Burma to
get rid of sex disparity, there would be roughly 127,561 births, whereas the total
number of successful primary vaccinations under one year even yet only
amounts to 63,484.
9. The percentages of success in primary and secondary operations were
92.01 and 58.79 respectively as against 91.21 and 46.01 in 1895-96.
10. A considerable increase is also noticeable in the average number of
cases vaccinated by each vaccinator, which was 2,622 against 1,974 in the
previous year. The average was highest in Sandoway, Rangoon, Amherst, and
Hanthawaddy districts, where it amounted to 5,894, 5,162, 4,558, and 4,239
respectively. In other districts it varied from 3,520 in Thatôn, 3,094 in Mergui,
2,802 in Henzada, 2,686 in Tavoy, 2,597 in Pegu, to 1,471, 1,363, 1,310, and
1,292 in Akyab, Northern Arakan, Kyaukpyu, and Myaungmya respectively.
11. With the exception of Akyab the number of successful operations per-
formed in each district exceeded the mean of the previous three years and the
ratio of persons protected per 1,000 of population during the year varied from 215
in Sandoway, 103 in Tavoy, 101 in Rangoon, 87 in Thatôn, 86 in Northern
Arakan, and 75 in Mergui to 25 in Myaungmya and 15 in Akyab. The improve-
ment in protection is more or less general, with the exception of the two last
named districts, which are backward and require special attention on the part
of the Superintendents of Vaccination.
12. In the diagram annexed is shown the proportion of the population pro-
tected during the seven years ending with March 1897 and the death-rate from
small-pox for the calendar year 1896.
13. In a country like Burma where the registration of vital statistics is
admittedly very faulty, and into which large numbers of unprotected immigrants
constantly enter, it is difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy the
precise influence exercised by vaccination over the mortality from small-pox.
From the subjoined table, in which is shown by quinquennial periods the death-
rate from small-pox since 1881, it would appear that the fatality from this cause
is on the decline. The fluctuations from year to year are somewhat pronounced
however and suggest that the repressive agency is far from complete in its
application.
Official year.
1881-82...
1882-83...
1883-84...
1884-85...
1885-86...
1886.87...
1887-88...
1888-89...
1889-90...
1890-91...
1891-92...
1892-93...
1893-94...
1894-95...
1895-96...
Ratio per 10,000
of successfully
vaccinated.
110.00
125.00
167.00
199.50
134.60
146.90
167.00
197.90
266.70
243.60
214.20
257.90
303.50
353.80
448.90
Quinquennial
mean.
147.22
204.42
315.66
Calendar year.
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
Ratio per 10,000
of morta1ity
from small-pox.
4.80
2.10
1.90
16.70
5.80
.30
.60
1.60
7.70
10.10
2.90
3.20
6.80
3.80
3.40
Quinquennial
mean.
6.26
4.06
4.02