( 2 )
3. Number of operations and average per operator.—The total number of
vaccinations performed rose from 1,844,304 in 1893-94 to 2,174,097 in 1894-95
and 2,277,081 in 1895-96, while the yearly average for the period 1893-96 was
2,098,494 against 1,770,492 in 1890-93, giving an increase of 328,002. The
average per operator also rose from 560 in 1893-94 to 608 in 1894-95 and 622
in 1895-96. The increase in the yearly average is shared by 35 districts,
including Calcutta and the Tributary States of Orissa and Chota Nagpur. It
was highest in the following districts :—
Dacca ...
Darbhanga ...
Mymensingh ...
59,927
42,708
35,586
Noakhali ...
Backerguuge ...
Faridpur ...
20,897
20,727
19,382
Fourteen districts show a falling off, the decline being largest in—
Cuttack ...
Pabna ...
16,222
6,666
Manbhum ...
Hooghly ...
Rajshahi
...
5,988
4,442
3,339
In Cuttack the large decrease is said to have been due to a strike among
the vaccinators in 1892-93 in consequence of the reluctance of the people to pay
their fees. This reduced their number from 100 to 12, and although the
strength has since risen to 48, it still falls short of the needs of the district.
In Pabna the Civil Medical Officer refers to the greater unhealthiness of
the people as accounting for the decline in vaccination. In Manbhum the
decrease is attributed to three causes, viz. (1) to the scarcity which prevailed
in the district in 1893-94; (2) to less populous and more jungly tracts having
been taken up for vaccination; and (3) to the excessive prevalence of measles
in 1895-96. An unusual outbreak of malarial fever, especially among children, is
said to have been one of the causes of the reduction of vaccinations in Hooghly.
In Rajshahi the falling off is ascribed to a smaller number of persons being
available for vaccination and the prevalence of malaria in the district. In rural
areas the average number of operations per man was 612 against 665 in 1890-93:
this decrease is attributed to the employment, since the reorganization of the
department, of a large number of apprentices who do less work than the regular
vaccinators. The average has also been affected by the inclusion of vaccinators
paid by Government or the District Board, who worked for short periods during
the prevalence of small-pox.
4. Protection afforded to infants.—In paragraph 6 of the report a statement
is given showing the degree of protection afforded to infants under one year of
age, which, as has often been pointed out, is the proper test of the working of
the Department. The total number of such infants available for vaccination
during 1895-96 was estimated at 2,460,469 against 2,491,305 in the preceding
year, and of these, 416,307, or 169.19 per thousand, were successfully vaccinated,
as compared with 405,065, or 162.59 per thousand in 1894-95. The proportion
of infants successfully vaccinated per thousand of population in 1892-93, the last
of the previous triennial period, was 125.49 only, so that a distinct advance has
been made during the past three years. The Malda and Darjeeling districts
head the list with 712.49 and 700.68 successful operations, respectively, out of
every thousand of the available infant population. Next in order comes
Lohardaga with 641.71 per mille. Gaya, Cuttack, and Patna stand lowest with
37.72, 30.29 and 26.52, respectively, per mille. The statistics, however, vary
so greatly that their accuracy cannot be wholly relied on, and it seems
probable that in many districts the proportion of infants protected has been
overstated.
5. Primary vaccinations.—The average ratio per cent. of successful cases
for the entire Province for the three years is returned at 95.38 against 99.26
in the previous triennial period. The Sanitary Commissioner ascribes this
incredibly high percentage to the dishonest practice, believed to have been in
force in Bengal for many years, and strongly condemned in paragraph 5 of last
year's Resolution, of excluding unsuccessful cases from the returns, and even of
entering absolute or partial failures as successful vaccinations. Dr. Dyson
goes on to show, by statistics laid before the Royal Commission on vacci-
nation, that the degree of protection afforded by vaccination bears a definite
relation to the number of successful vaccination marks, and for this reason he
recommends that in future three punctures should be made in each arm, as