REPORT ON VACCINATION IN ASSAM.
17
General summary.
85. Besides Government vaccination, 2,234 (nearly all children) tea-garden labourers
were vaccinated by private agency, the succesful cases being
1,933, or 86.49 per cent. There is no compulsory area and
little or no assistance obtained from civil authority. Inoculation is very much practised, but
there was no genuine record of any mortality or epidemic outbreak. There were only
two deaths from small-pox registered in the whole of Cachar in 1886. The usual supply
of lymph was obtained from the Sanitary Commissioners of Assam and Bengal, and
was good, especially the English tubes.
General protection against small-pox.
86. Dr. Partridge was at some pains to examine different classes of the people
who came under his care to ascertain the extent of protec-
tion against small-pox, and has given the results in the
subjoined table:—
Class of person examined.
Prisoners..........................
Dispensary patients..........................
School boys..........................
Pathsála boys..........................
Total..........................
Number
ex-
amined.
94
38
218
621
971
Inoculated.
23
13
127
324
487
Percent-
age of
total ex-
amined
24.46
34.21
58.25
52.17
50.15
Vaccinated.
32
15
47
148
242
Percent-
age of
total ex-
amined.
34.04
39.47
21.55
23.83
24.92
Had
small.
pox.
33
4
8
85
130
Percent-
age of
total ex-
amined.
35.10
10.52
3.66
13.68
13.38
Unpro-
tected.
6
6
36
64
112
Percent-
age of
total ex-
amined.
6.38
15.78
16.51
10.30
11.53
It is chiefly interesting as affecting schoolboys, as probably the other classes have had
no chance of voluntary vaccination. The general results that one-half the people have
been inoculated, one-fourth vaccinated, and one-eighth each have either had small-pox or
are entirely unprotected, is encouraging. At all events, 25 per cent. vaccinated is not altoge-
ther that " drop in the bucket " of which the Deputy-Commissioner of Sylhet remarks as
the outcome of so many years of labour.
Expenditure.
87. The cost of vaccination in Cachar is extremely moderate. The budget
grant of Rs. 1,285 was nearly all expended; but the Gov-
ernment share was Rs. 552-5-10 only; the Local Funds
Rs. 517-1-4, and municipal funds Rs. 57-6-9. For these sums 9,482 successful cases give
an average of 1 anna 10¾ pies.
Conclusion.
88. Although the general aggregate, including tea-gardens, of vaccination in Cachar
is 191 less than in 1885-86, the decrease is not due to any
lack of energy either in Dr. Partridge or his subordinates.
The former found he had much less time at his command than previously, owing to
constant duty as an Inspector of tea-gardens, and the distance from head-quarters to which
many of the operators were distributed rendered much time necessary to visit them on
inspection. The Hospital-Assistants of the Frontier Police should be instructed to
aid in the good work from the various outposts. Dr. Partridge brings to notice the zeal
and energy in the performance of his duty of Babu Raj Narain Pál, Inspector of Vaccina-
tion in Cachar.
Substantial progress still being made.
GENERAL REMARKS.
89. Vaccination during the past season has not made the startling advance on
1885-86 which characterised that year on the previous one.
It may be remembered, however, that the gross number
vaccinated did not indicate so good an average to each operator as did 1884-85. The
increase was solely due to the sudden rise in the number of vaccinators (40 to 70) employed
under the Local Board. So far as actual work is concerned, 1886-87 is at least as good
as any which have preceded it. The average number of vaccinations by each operator
has increased from 553.31 to 569.62; the number of primary successful vaccinations from
103,789 to 112,016; of secondary decreased from 717 to 571; and the vaccination on tea-
gardens by private agency has risen from 4,579 to 5,294. The record of successful
vaccination by paid or public agency has increased from 90.31 per cent. to 92.32 per cent.,
while that of both paid and unpaid agency has also increased from 89.43 to 91.46 per cent.
Accompamed with decreased expen-
diture.
90. This substantial progress is also associated with decreased expenditure, compared
with the actuals of 1885-86. The net increase of 83,277
paid vaccinations of the season 1885-86 over 66,793 in
1884-85 was accompanied by an increased cost of Rs. 12,978-2-3, compared with Rs. 9,433
in 1884-85, while the average cost of each successful operation was reduced from 2 annas
F