2
8. Vaccination work in different districts.—Out of the 12 districts and 1 Native
State composing the province, there was an. increase of vaccinations in 9 and a
decrease in 4, as compared with the previous year.
The increase (28,522) is specially noticeable in the district of Sylhet where, as
stated in paragraph 4 of the report, vaccination was vigorously pushed as a preventive
measure against small-pox, which was unduly prevalent in several villages in the
Habiganj, Sunamganj and North Sylhet subdivisions. Each of these subdivisions has
two permanent vaccinators, who were sent to the affected localities in rotation. The
Sunamganj Local Board entertained four extra vaccinators. The vaccination inspect¬
ing staff was sent to infected places to induce the people to accept vaccination. In
this connection Captain Scott, Civil Surgeon, Sylhet, remarks, " it would be a very
simple matter to suppress epidemics, if the people were willing to accept vaccination,
or if some means of compulsion could be employed, but as things are, it is a
a difficult and tedious process to get sufficient vaccinations done to check an out-
break".
Thanks are due to the Subdivisional Officer of Sunamganj, who rendered great
assistance by personally visiting the affected areas. As a result of this, a very large
number of re-vaccinations were performed forthwith, and the epidemic rapidly sub-
sided.
The Civil Surgeon personally visited, with good results, several places in which
the populace was opposed to vaccination.
The experiment to work the district with licensed vaccinators, to which reference
was made in the last year's report, shows small promise of success, as much diffi-
culty was experienced in the realisation of fees. It might be discontinued in the
next season.
A Gonok was found inoculating in a village in the Sunamganj subdivision
legal action is being taken to deal with the offender.
The next highest increase of 4,241 operations, recorded in the Khasi and Jaintia
Hills, is due to the fact that the additional vaccinators sanctioned in the season
1911-1912 displayed greater activity during the year under review than in the
previous year. At first, the pay of these vaccinators was fixed at Rs. 16 a month
for six months and at Rs. 8 a month for six months. On the representation
of the Civil Surgeon, their pay has been raised to Rs. 16 a month throughout the
year.
The increase in Cachar is partly due to better supervision of the vaccinators,
who are now made to submit the return of their work done, week by week, and
partly also to an increased number of operations being performed on the tea
estates.
In the Lakhimpur district, people generally accept vaccination. The only
section of the population, who oppose vaccination, are Muttocks. The Deputy
Commissioner has promised to address their headmen with a view to producing a
more favourable attitude towards vaccination.
The increase in the Kamrup district has been maintained. The year's work is
the more satisfactory in that among the " Mahapurushias," who are notorious in
their objection to vaccination upon religious grounds, 6,422 operations have been
performed.
The decrease of 3,930 operations in the Sibsagar district, as compared with the
number vaccinated in the previous year, is said to be due to the absence of small-
pox in epidemic form during the year in question.
The decrease of 2,481 cases in Goalpara is due to prevalence of cholera in
Dhubri, Bijni and Sidli registration circles during a portion of the vaccination sea-
son, viz., November, December and January. The people were struck by panic,
and did not readily submit to vaccination One of the vaccinators and two appren-
tices died of cholera, and the vacancies could not be filled up for some time.
The fall of 2,401 operations in the Garo Hills district has not been accounted
for in the report. This is, perhaps, due to a lack of activity on the part of: the ope-
rators and an unsatisfactory method of working. The Civil Surgeon has proposed
certain changes in next year's arrangements that may give better results.
The fall of nearly 2,000 operations in the Nowgong district is very unsatisfac-
tory, in view of the fact that there was an outbreak of small-pox during the year.
In 1911-1912, three extra vaccinators were entertained for 3 months, and the year
before that 5 extra vaccinators were entertained, but during the year under review
no extra -vaccinators were appointed by the Local Board for want of funds. In