Resolution on the Vaccination Report for 1895-96.
Extract from the Proceedings of the Chief Commissioner of Assam in the General
Department, No. 4387 G., dated the 7th July 1896.
Read —
The Annual Vaccination Report for 1895-96.
RESOLUTION.
The average number of Native inspectors and vaccinators employed throughout
the year, excluding the dispensary staff and men employed by tea gardens, but including
48 licensed vaccinators, was 231, compared with 230 in 1894-95. The total number of
operations performed by paid and licensed vaccinators increased from 181,477 in 1894-95
to 233,812, being an increase of 52,335. Of the operations done, 227,114 were primary
vaccinations and 6,698 were re-vaccinations, the corresponding figures for the previous
year being 177,492 and 3,985, respectively. The percentage of successes of primary
operations was 97.74 and of re-vaccinations 87.98, compared with 87.80 and 61.25, re-
spectively, in the previous year. The average number of operations performed by each
vaccinator, excluding garden agency, was 1,098, as compared with 852 in 1894-95 :
the average number done by licensed vaccinators, who are dependent on the fees
received by them from the people, was 701, against 630 in 1894-95. The proportion
of persons successfully vaccinated by these agencies increased from 28.09 per 1,000
in 1894-95 to 40.45 in 1895-96. These results are very satisfactory.
2. In addition to the work done by paid and licensed vaccinators, dispensary
establishments performed 10,456 vaccinations, against 12,302 in the previous year, and
there were 16,422 vaccinations done on tea gardens by private agency, as compared
with 6,358 in 1894-95. The percentage of successful cases, both by dispensary estab-
lishments and by tea-garden agencies, was lower than that obtained by the ordinary
staff, but the Chief Commissioner doubts the accuracy of the figures showing the
proportion of successful primary operations obtained by the ordinary staff, viz., 97.74.
In the Bengal Vaccination Report for 1894-95, it was stated that many vaccinators in
that Province had excluded unsuccessful operations from their lists, and it is not improb-
able that the same error in procedure occurs in parts of Assam. The Chief Commissioner
will be glad if the Principal Medical Officer and Sanitary Commissioner will give this
matter his careful consideration, and record the result of his , enquiries in the next
Vaccination Report.
3. In paragraph 2 of the Resolution on the Vaccination Report for 1894-95, it was
stated that the steady improvement in vaccination which had taken place in the Province
up to 1892-93, had not been maintained during the two succeeding years, and the deterio-
ration was attributed to the bad quality of the lymph supplied from the Shillong Depôt -
and to want of proper supervision in certain districts. The table given in paragraph 9 of
the Report shows that there were 260,690 vaccinations (including re-vaccinations) done
by all agencies during the year, or an increase of 60,553 over the figures of 1894-95,
and 35,747 in excess of those of 1892-93, the year in which the largest number of
vaccinations had been performed since vaccination was introduced into Assam. All the
plains districts and the Manipur State contributed to the increase, but the Chief Com-
missioner regrets to notice that there was a falling off in the hill districts, the decrease
being most marked in the case of the Naga Hills. The largest increase occurred in the
Sylhet district, viz., 24,182, followed by Sibsagar with an increase of 11,423; much