4
TRIENNIAL REPORT ON VACCINATION IN BURMA FOR THE YEARS 1905-06 TO 1907-08.
light upon the true position of vaccination in this district, where active support of
the vaccination staff by the Civil Authorities is urgently required.
In Rangoon there has been a continuous decline in the numbers vaccinated
during the past three years. This is, however, due to the great number of opera-
tions performed in 1905-06 in the face of a severe epidemic of small-pox, when
every available officer of the Sanitary and Plague Staffs was employed to push
vaccination, and the mill owners gave ready assistance to the Municipal Health
Officer in the work of vaccinating residents in their cooly lines. A similar proce-
dure was continued in 1906-07, but with the decline of small-pox the interest of
the public in the matter flagged, while the proportion of unprotected mill-hands
was of course much smaller than before the epidemic. The success obtained in
primary and re-vaccination in Rangoon has shown a marked increase since the
last triennial report, and in 1907-08 96.34 per cent. of verified primary operations
and 60.64 of re-vaccinations were successful, while the figures for 1905-06 were
84.86 and 55.41 respectively.
Primary operations in infants have been particularly successful during the
past twelve months in Rangoon; at most of the vaccination stations in the town
verified successes rarely fell below 99 per cent. in any month.
Statement
III.
10. Dispensary Vaccinations.—There has been a yearly increase in the
number of Dispensary vaccinations performed during the triennium, the results
for each year being as follows :—
1905-06 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1906-07 ... ... ... ... ... ...
1907-08 ... ... ... ... ... ...
Cases.
17,507
18,521
19,131
The highest number of operations shown in any year of the previous trien-
nium was 15,562 in 1904-05.
The percentage of verified successes in primary operations was 95.32 in
1907-08 which may be compared with 83.32, the maximum figure attained in the
previous triennium.
Statement
IV.
11. Under the head "Government," it is shown that the highest number of
vaccinations and of verified successes was obtained during the triennium under
review, the returns for 1905-06 (162,004 operations and 144,074 successes)
being the largest of any year in the decade 1898-99 and 1907-08 and those for
1907-08 being next in order.
As regards Municipal vaccinations there has been an annual decrease during
the triennium, but the figures for 1905-06 are, however, the highest recorded since
1899-1900. The continuous decrease has been chiefly due to the falling off in
Rangoon Municipality already alluded to.
Under the head of "Local Fund" the returns of vaccination show an
annual decrease during the triennium.
Dispensary vaccinations, as already stated, show a considerable and sustained
increase almost throughout the last six years.
There is a falling off under the heading " Native States."
Statement
V.
12. Inspections.—There has been a very considerable decline in the number
of operations verified by Deputy Sanitary Commissioner and Civil Surgeons
during each successive year of the triennium, and the highest number of inspec-
tions in any year is less than that of the last two years of the previous period.
The return for 1907-08 (47,420 primary operations inspected) contrasts most
unfavourably with the 78,238 recorded in 1904-05. This remark does not apply
to verification of re-vaccination, though there is a decrease in 1907-08 under this
head of over 7,000 below the returns of the two earlier years of the triennium
under review.
The work of verification performed by Native Superintendents of Vaccination
shows a considerable advance, nearly double the number of operations having
been verified in the year 1907-08, as were inspected in 1904-05. As regards the
percentage of cases found successful to the total number verified there was a
marked improvement on the returns of the previous triennium, 90.52 primary and
59.25 re-vaccinations having been returned by Deputy Sanitary Commissioner