GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM.
The Governor and the Minister of Education.
Resolution on the Vaccination Report of Assam for the three
years ending 1922-23.
Extract from the Proceedings of the Government of Assam in the Department of
Education, No. 2781E , dated the 9th July 1923.
READ—
The Triennial Report on Vaccination in Assam for the years 1920-21, 1921-22 and 1922 23.
RESOLUTION.
1. TOWARDS the close of the last triennium a scheme was introduced for increasing
the number of vaccinators so as to provide for every village being visited once a year.
This scheme in which all the Local Boards except Karimganj co-operated resulted in
an increase in the average number of vaccinators as compared with the preceding
triennium from, 353 to 444. The increase in the total number of vaccinations
performed from 1,085,373 to 1,162,931 was not however commensurate with the
increase in the staff. Abnormal conditions existed in both periods and these vitiate
comparisons. The work in the first two years of the preceding triennium was hamper-
ed by the influenza epidemic and, on the other hand, the non-co-operation movement
was a very disturbing factor during part of the period now under review. A more
instructive comparison is furnished by the figures of 1919-20 and 1922-23. The
increased staff was at work in 1919-20 and both years were free from abnormal
occurrences. The total number of persons vaccinated was 407,326 in 1919-20 and
351,015 in 1922-23. The decrease occurred mainly in the Manipur State, where the
intensive campaign of 1919-20 was not repeated. Deducting the Manipur figures,
the number of vaccinations was 342,620 in 1919-20 and 329,591 in 1922-23. This
decrease must undoubtedly be attributed to the inadequacy of the inspecting work
both by Civil Surgeons and the subordinate inspecting staff. The percentage of
inspections of primary vaccinations fell from 6.26 to 3.20 in the case of the superior
staff and from 51.35 to 49.02 in the case of the subordinate staff. Of the superior
staff, the Civil Surgeons of Darrang and the Khasi and Jaintia Hills did no inspection
work at all, while the Civil Surgeons of Kamrup, Goalpara and Sibsagar did very
little. This tendency on the part of Civil Surgeons to neglect what is an important
if an uninteresting part of their duties must be checked, and the Governor and his
Minister will be glad if the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals will take up the
matter. The Sibsagar district had the worst record in the province, the work of
the vaccinators and of the subordinate inspecting staff in this district being most
inadequate. Another regrettable feature of the Report is the decision of the Habiganj
and Sunamganj Boards to reduce the number of vaccinators. Presumably this has
been done for financial reasons, and it is to be hoped that the Boards will find thorn-
selves in a position to increase their staff again.
2. The vaccination work done at dispensaries showed a marked decrease, the
average annual number of persons vaccinated by the dispensary staff having fallen
from 6,089 to 1,537. Apparently the number of people who prefer to be vaccinated
by the medical officers of these institutions rather than by the ordinary staff is decreas-
ing.
3. During the period under review compulsory vaccination was introduced within
the areas under the control of certain village authorities in Sylhet and Sibsagar. The
reference in the Report to this experiment is very brief and vague, and the Director
will be asked to furnish a more complete account.