BOMBAY PRESIDENCY.
5
Increase and decrease in
primary vaccination.
11. In primary vaccination a considerable increase is shown in the
Southern Registration District—20,639 persons were
vaccinated more than the previous year, the per-
centage of increase being 13.71. In the Presidency and
Cutch Circles there was a slight increase, but in all other districts and circles
there was more or less decrease. The net increase over the preceding year was
3,838 or 0.43 per cent.
Increase and decrease in
re-vaccination.
12. In re-vaccination also an increase took place in the Southern Registra-
tion District—24,351 or 13,765 more than in the pre-
ceding year. Next comes Eastern Gujarát, where an
increase of 2,085 was recorded under this head. The
net increase was 3,770 or 6.89 per cent.
Increase and decrease in
total operations.
13. As regards total operations, an increase of 34,404 or 21.35 per cent. is
recorded in the Southern Registration District. The
Presidency and Cutch Circles show an increase of 1,669
or 7.64 per cent., and 307 or 1.43 per cent., respect-
ively. A decrease of 28,772 is distributed over the Western, Central, Eastern
and Western Gujarát, Sind, Baroda, Aden, Muskat, Khelat, Bushire, as well as
British and Native Army. The total net increase for the Presidency was 7,608
or 0.80 per cent.
Causes of decrease.
14. In the Western Registration District the decrease under primary
vaccination is due to sickness among the vaccinators,
and as regards re-vaccination, it is probable that small-
pox not being so prevalent during the year, re-vaccination was not so much sought
for. The decrease in the Central Registration District under primary vaccination
is attributed to unvaccinated children becoming less numerous in the Collector-
ates of Ahmednagar and Sholápur, and also to the fact that the registered births
had been much less in all the Collectorates except Sholápur; at the same time
the death-rate was much higher this year in every Collectorate than in the
previous year. The decrease under re-vaccination is chiefly due to the fact that
small-pox was prevalent during 1888-89 and in consequence a much larger
number than usual was re-vaccinated that year. In the Western Gujarát Circle
the Káthiáwár Agency alone shows an increase in primary vaccination, whereas
the Pálanpur Superintendency shows a large decrease. This decrease is ascribed
to very little work having been done by two vaccinators, one of whom was dis-
missed, and the other resigned. In Sind the decrease is said to be due chiefly to
floods in the Karáchi, Hyderabad and Shikárpur Collectorates, and scarcity of
rain and famine in the Thar and Párkar District. The Chief Medical Officer,
Baroda, states that the chief cause of decrease in all the divisions of that State is
the want of subjects.
Particulars of vaccine oper-
ations.
15. The following table specifies, by districts and circles, caste, age, sex
and result in primary vaccination, and sex and result
in re-vaccination and total operations; and their totals
are contrasted with those in 1888-89. It will be ob-
served that there is an improvement in infantile vaccination over that of last
year as regards numbers as well as percentages :—
B 296—2