22
VACCINATION REPORT,
years, and to proceed with the progress which was being made before the appear-
ance of famine and plague.
As regards Collectorates, Khándesh was the one most affected and after it
Bijápur, Thána, Dhárwár and Kánara gave the largest number of deaths ; all
the other Collectorates had less than 100 deaths each, Ahmedabad and Panch
Maháls had only 1 death each, and the Collectorates of Ratnágiri, Surat, Broach
Kaira, Hyderabad and Shikárpur had none at all.
The deaths from small-pox are shown in the table under three age periods, and
as percentages to total deaths. Compared with previous years,the tendency is found
to be for the deaths under 1 year to decrease, for those above 1 and below 12 to
remain about the same, and for those over 12 to increase. As far as primary
vaccination is concerned, this is a fairly satisfactory result; but would be more so
if the deaths in the first two age periods were lower : however, it is difficult to effect
this owing to the absence of compulsory vaccination in towns and to the very
extensive areas in charge of rural Vaccinators.
The percentages for the Central District do not show a very good result,
but this is exceptional, as the record of this district is usually one of the best.
The numbers on which, this year, the calculations are made are, however, too
small to give results of much value.
50. Small-pox was very prevalent in Southern Arabia during the year, and
as a consequence Aden suffered to a certain extent ; but the disease could not be
considered epidemic, and most of the cases were contracted outside or were
found amongst the homeless vagrants ; in only a few instances was the disease
discovered amongst the resident population.
Vaccination was pushed as much as possible and 1,106 more persons were
operated on than in the preceding year.
Vaccination at last seems to be gaining ground among the Arabs in the
interior of Arabia. Many of them visiting Aden begged to be operated on, and
gave as their reason that those who on former visits to Aden had been vacci-
nated, were able to go about among the infected with impunity.
At the urgent request of the Sultán of Lahej a Vaccinator was sent there,
and operated on 381 persons.
At Shaikh Othman, which has an estimated population of 7,000 of whom
probably 60 or 70 per cent. are protected, there were during the year under
report 160 cases of small-pox which are detailed in the following table :—
Unvaccinated ... ... ...
Vaccinated ... ... ...
Previous small-pox
...
...
Cases.
152
7
1
Deaths.
67
Nil.
Nil.
Mortality per cent.
44
Nil.
Ml.
The foregoing shows the effect of small-pox among the small unvaccinated
portion of a community, and the protection afforded by vaccination to the much
larger portion. Taking the unvaccinated population at 2,400, the above gives
an attack-rate of 63.3 and a death-rate of 27.9 per mille, whilst among the
4,600 vaccinated, the attack-rate was only 2.2 per mille and the deaths nil. The
death-rate of those attacked was 44 per cent., but of those who escaped death
there would be some who would lose their sight or be crippled in some way for
life, as death is by no means the only disaster which awaits about half of those
unvaccinated persons who contract small-pox during an epidemic of the disease.
It is interesting to note that the Arab, whatever his education may be as
compared with other more civilised people, knows at any rate what small-pox is
among an unvaccinated community, and has learnt the benefit of vaccination
when he has had the opportunity of doing so. It is to be hoped that certain