2
6. Percentage of successful vaccination.—The percentages of successful primary
operations and revaccinations through different agencies for the years 1926-27 and
1925-26 were as follows :—
1
Vaccination Department ... ...
Dispensaries
...
...
Other agencies ... ...
1926-27.
Primary.
2
95.46
90.14
98.75
Revaccination.
3
73.61
65.06
83.16
1925-26.
Primary.
4
96.71
22.55
96.74
Revaccination.
5
70.02
60.38
85.31
7. Different methods of vaccination.—As usual, all vaccinations were performed
during the year with glycerinated lymph manufactured in the Provincial Vaccine
Depôt at Shillong.
8. Vaccination work in different districts.—There was an increase of vaccina-
tion in all districts except Darrang and Manipur State, as compared with the previous
year. The increase is specially noticeable in the districts of Sibsagar (48,067), Sylhet
(29,748), Garo Hills (21,205), Kamrup (16,959), Goalpara (13,370) and Naga Hills
(11,151). In all of these districts small-pox was prevalent in epidemic form and
vaccination was vigorously pushed on as a preventive measure. Small-pox has been
persisting in the Sibsagar district for the last two years and one of the reasons for
this is attributed by the district medical and executive authorities to refusal to take
revaccination. A proposal under the special regulations framed under the Epidemic
Diseases Act to make revaccination compulsory in villages which are notified as
small-pox infected has been submitted to Government for consideration. The increase
in the Sylhet district is due to Local Board's enforcing, at the suggestion of the Civil
Surgeon, a minimum of 250 vaccinations per month per vaccinator and also to the
greater prevalence of small-pox which necessitated more vigorous activity in order to
get a larger number of vaccinations performed. The increase in the Garo-Hills,
Naga Hills, Kamrup and Goalpara districts was due to the continued prevalence of
small-pox in an epidemic form. In some of these districts vaccinations were per-
formed throughout the non-working season. A new circle was formed in the Naga
Hills and steps were taken to extend vaccination to certain areas which were added
to this district. For this purpose four additional temporary vaccinators were provid-
ed. The Civil Surgeon, Lushai Hills, has asked to be provided with three more tempo-
rary vaccinators. The Superintendent, Lushai Hills, has suggested that in order to
facilitate the work of the vaccinators, they should at the beginning of the working
season attend to the villages remote from headquarters and towards its close- operate
in the neighbourhood of headquarters. The suggestion appears to be sound and will
be commended to the Civil Surgeon for trial.
9. Composition and strength of the inspecting staff .—The Inspecting Staff as in
the previous year consists of 9 Inspectors of Vaccination and 20 Sub-Inspectors.
10. Verification by the Inspecting Staff.—Civil Surgeons and the Assistant
Director of Public Health inspected 7.03 per cent. of the primary and 6.00 per cent.
of the revaccination performed during the year, as compared with 4.08 and 4.28 res-
pectively of the previous year. The percentage of inspection of primary operations
was the highest in the Nowgong district (20.56) and the lowest in Lakhimpur (1.35).
The Civil Surgeon in the last named district is also the Superintendent of the Berry-
White Medical School. He finds it difficult to do much touring owing to pressure of
work at headquarters. Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors of Vaccination inspected 40.94
per cent. of the primary and 34.86 per cent. of the revaccinations, as compared with
38.75 and 38.80 respectively in 1925-26. With regard to the inspection of primary
operations, the percentage was the highest in the Sadiya Frontier Tract (81.32) fol-
lowed by Nowgong (80.44) and Khasi and Jaintia Hills (79.81). It was lowest in the
Sibsagar district (17.01). The Inspector of this district was on medical leave and a
Sub-Inspector had to be replaced for unsatisfactory work. Inspections were also much
below the prescribed standard in the Goalpara and Kamrup districts. The Assistant
Director of Public Health inspected a total of 5,085 operations in the districts of
Cachar, Sylhet, Kamrup, Darrang and Sibsagar.