NOTES ON VACCINATION IN THE CENTRAL
PROVINCES AND BERAR FOR THE
SEASON 1915-16.
Administration.
The Vaccination Department was administered by Major Stokes, I.M.S.,
till the 29th September 1915, when he reverted to
Military duty, and I have since then been put in collateral
charge.
The strength of the Vacci-
nation Establishment.
2. The strength of the establishment was increased by 7 men—2 Assistant
Superintendents of Vaccination (1 each for Akola
and Buldana Districts) and 5 Vaccinators (1 in Nag-
pur, 2 in Drug and 3 in Akola Districts).
Total operations by all
Establishments—Statement I.
3. The total number of operations performed during the year was
599,959, representing a decrease of 2,684 compared with
the figures of the preceding year. Of this number,
598,983 operations were performed by the special staff, and the rest, 976, by
other agencies, such as the Railway and Missionary Medical staff and Sub-
Assistant Surgeons attached to Jail Hospitals.
Primary vaccinations by the
special staff.
4. Primary vaccinations by the special staff numbered 517,925 against
525,750 in the previous year. Eleven districts show
an increase, and the others a decrease, which is most
marked in Amraoti (—5,003), Jubbulpore (—4,344), Chhindwara (—3,342),
Betul (—2,407) and Damoh (—2,363). Prevalence of plague and fewer infants
available for vaccination in consequence of the low birth-rate and high infant
mortality, due to the widespread epidemic of malaria in the year, are said to
account for this decrease; but it is probable that frequent changes among
Civil Surgeons on account of the withdrawal of Medical Officers for active
service have also had much to do with this decline. This is evidenced by the
number of vaccinations performed by individual vaccinators, which is in most
cases about twelve to fifteen hundred per vaccinator, and in some instances
ridiculously low, e.g., Damoh, where a vaccinator working in the 5-mile area,
round about Damoh Municipal town did only 245 operations in the year.
This district has always been very backward in this matter and was unfavour-
ably commented on in previous years. In Betul one man did 533, another
661, and two about 900 each. Such work is disgraceful and scarcely justifies
the retention in service of the men. It would be well if Civil Surgeons will
weed out useless men and substitute others better qualified. Now that the
pay and prospects of the staff have been much improved there is no reason
why satisfactory work should not be expected of them. The Civil Surgeon,
Amraoti, suggests increase in the staff and wishes to have the number raised
to the extent allowed in Nagpur and Jubbulpore Districts, where the Municipal
and Cantonment vaccinators swell the establishment to a great extent. Exclud-
ing these men, the District staff amount to only 15, and Amraoti has also
the same number; the Civil Surgeon has therefore no reason to complain
of insufficient staff. The Commissioner, Berar, writes very unfavourably of
the work in the Buldana District, and wants the Sanitary Commissioner to person-
ally look into the matter. The Civil Surgeon, among other reasons, attributes the
bad work to the deputation of two vaccinators for training at the Central
Vaccine Depôt, Nagpur, during the working season. In this district there
is a very large percentage of inexperienced and untrained men, and the so-
called senior men were promoted to higher grades without any consideration
to the rules laid down. Major Stokes had already pointed this out to the
local authorities. With such a staff it can hardly be wondered at that the
work should be poor. The men that were sent to Nagpur for training were
raw recruits, who would have been of no use whatever had they remained in
the district. I am glad to note here the excellent work done by some
vaccinators in Yeotmal, Bhandara and Chhindwara Districts, and would specially
mention the name of Vaccinator Abdul Latif of Yeotmal, who did 6,035 opera-
tions—a record never attained by any vaccinator in the Province before.