2
5. Dispensary vaccination.—The number of operations performed by the dispen-
sary staff were as follows :—
1
1920-21 ... ... ... ...
1921-22 ... ... ... ...
1922-23 ... ... ... ...
Primary.
2
1,017
597
756
Re-vaccination.
3
1,089
268
885
Total.
4
2,106
865
1,641
The annual average for the triennium was 1,537.
6. Percentage of successful operations.—The average annual percentage of
successful operations performed by all establishments was 94.91 for primary and
62.2 for re-vaccination in the triennium under review as against 94.92 and 69.21
in the preceding one. As usual the lymph has been issued from cold storage
after a period of some three months' stay in the cold to eliminate suppurative
organisms, and this has had satisfactory results in the reduction of septic complica-
tions in the course of vaccination operations. During the triennium, a potent strain
of lymph was maintained and that of 1922-23 was particularly active and satisfac-
tory in its results.
7. Different methods of vaccination.—As usual, all vaccination operations were
performed with glycerinated lymph manufactured in the Vaccine Depôt at Shillong
and no other methods were practised.
8. Vaccination work in different districts.—The attached tabulated statement
shows the progress of vaccination of the triennium under review. Only three
districts show a decrease in the total number of persons vaccinated during the
triennium. The decrease shown against Cachar is due to a large reduction in tea¬
garden vaccination and leaving this out of account, the vaccinations performed
by the vaccinators controlled by the Civil Surgeon was 9,891 in excess of the
corresponding figures of the previous triennium.
Kamrup shows a large deficit
which is due to less work being done by the vaccinators, while the increase shown
against Sibsagar becomes a decrease of 4,717 in the work of the vaccinators
when tea-garden vaccinations are deducted. The decrease shown against Manipur
is due to the fact that the special efforts of 1919-20 have not been repeated. In
Sylhet, the increase of vaccination operations over the previous triennium was
71,185, and the Civil Surgeon thinks this is due to the fact that " 301 vacci-
nators were employed in the previous triennium, and 408 in the period under
review," and he expresses the opinion that many more villages were now visited
than was formerly the case. The average number of operations per vaccinator in
1922-23 was 1,108 which was the best record of any of the plains districts, but
as usual, the hill districts in which the vaccinators are appointed for twelve months,
show a large proportion of vaccination per vaccinator. In the Assam Valley districts,
Goalpara shows in the triennium an increase of 18,271 in spite of the non-co-operation
movement in 1921-22. The Civil Surgeon, Kamrup, comments on the need for the
compulsory vaccination in rural areas, and he points out that his inspecting staff were
unable to tour for a month as no travelling allowance was available. Darrang
shows an increase of 25,269 operations in the triennium, and Nowgong an increase
of 7,234 operations but it is to be regretted that the immunity from small-pox
outbreaks which this district enjoyed for some years, has disappeared. The Sibsagar
work has been disappointing. The output of work by the Local Board vaccinators
has been less than it was in the previous triennium, and the number of operations per
vaccinator in 1922-23, 466, was the lowest of any of the plains districts. In this dis-
trict the smallest proportion of persons successfully vaccinated per 1,000 in any district
was recorded, viz., 26.49, and the verification by the inspecting staff was the worst in
the province. In Lakhimpur, there is a small increase over the operation of the pre-
vious triennium, and the number of operations per vaccinator is little better than those
of Sibsagar. As usual the Garo Hills vaccinators are credited with the largest
number of vaccinations namely, 1,652 per man,