2
TRIENNIAL REPORT ON VACCINATION
legitimately obtain this high number, they resorted to falsifying their registers, and
also falsifying the results of their work.
Latterly Civil Surgeons have been ordered to impress on the men that what
is required is a true account of the work done, and that during the cold and hot
weather, when it is possible for them to travel through the district, a larger number
could be secured than in the rainy weather, when the Burman objects to his child-
ren being vaccinated and it is very difficult for the men to travel about.
Vaccinators are also supposed, after visiting a certain number of villages and
vaccinating as many children as are obtainable, to return to the first village about
10 days or a fortnight later, verify their results, and attend to any children whose
arms have become sore and ulcerated.
In order to get the best work out of vaccinators they must be closely watched
and frequently inspected. For this reason a larger number and better class of
Native Superintendents are required. In many districts Civil Surgeons cannot
possibly find time to visit even half or one-third of the villages in their districts
during the year. As a result the vaccinator's word must be taken for what he has
done and as there is practically little chance of his being found out, when he is
unable to obtain a sufficient number of cases to operate on, he simply adds
fictitious names to make up the number required.
During the past season several vaccinators were reported for bad work and
submitting false returns. Some were dismissed and others received various punish-
ments.
Statement I.
Year.
1902
1903
1904
Registered
births during
the calendar
years.
167,496
176,547
173,021
Registered
deaths under
one year
during calen-
dar years.
32,501
34,304
32,707
Number of
children
available for
vaccination.
134,995
142,243
140,314
Infants suc-
cessfully
vaccinated
during the
year ending
31st March.
38,562
40,659
35,460
Percentage
of available
infants pro-
tected.
28.57
28.58
25.27
4. Age.—Of those primarily vaccinated 231,372 were children under one year
of age, 517,049 one and under six, and 176,849 over six years of age.
The large number vaccinated during the period ' one and under six ' is notice-
able. The Burman prefers this age for the operation and only very reluctantly
allows children under one year of age to be vaccinated.
Out of every 100 persons successfully vaccinated 25.01 were infants, 55.88
children between one and six years and 19.11 of all other ages.
5. In the previous triennium in Lower Burma the percentage of available
infants protected was
returned as 58.59 for
1899, 43.61 for 1900
and 27.62 for 1901,
which shows a rapid
decrease in the years
1900 and 1901. The
marginal statement
shows that since then
the percentages have
been fairly stationary.
The figures for the
triennium under
review represent more truly the correct percentage of available infants vaccinated.
Appendices
A
and C.
6. Protection to population.—As can be seen by the statement the proportion
protected by vaccination per 10,000 was 436.91 and the mortality from small-pox
5.57 during the period 1899-00 to 1903-04. The mortality from small-pox during
the period 1899-00 was 13.21. Since that year there has been an almost con-
tinuous decrease, and the mean for the last five years 1900-01 to 1904-05 has
fallen to 3.62 per 10,000.
7. Inoculation.—There is no doubt that a large number of sporadic out-
breaks of small-pox in the districts are caused by inoculation which the Burman
still prefers, though he knows its dangers The reason for this preference is that
a child who has been inoculated and recovers is thenceforth practically free
from the danger of contracting small-pox, whereas his experience of vaccination
is that children who have been subjected to the operation sometimes contract the
disease. This is what bad and inefficient work on the part of careless and unskil-
ful vaccinators leads to, and helps in a great measure to postpone the appreciation
of vaccination which more successful work would in course of time fulfil.