5
Of the total number of children available for vaccination in the
towns in which the Vaccination Act is in force, 80 per cent. were successfully
vaccinated as against 57 per cent. in the previous year whilst in the case
of towns in which, vaccination is not compulsory, the figure was 55 per cent.
as compared with 66 per cent. in the year 1926-27.
Attention has repeatedly been called in these reports to the inadequacy
of the arrangements made for vaccination, and more especially the in-
sufficient number of vaccination stations, in the cities and large towns. In
Amritsar City this defect was in some measure remedied by the appointment
of five male and one female vaccinator for a period of 3½ months It is hoped
that the Medical Officers of Health of other large towns will be able to per-
suade their Committees to follow this example, as vaccination can never be
brought within easy reach of all classes of the people until additional vacci-
nation stations have been opened in convenient situations throughout the
municipal area.
The employment of female vaccinators and Health Visitors (trained in
vaccination) for vaccinating purdah ladies has been attended with success.
A vaccination station for women was opened at the Health Centre at Feroze¬
pore and it is hoped that this example will be followed at Health Centres in
other towns.
The total number of notices issued by the District Vaccination staff
and Municipal staff during the year in respect of emigrant and immigrant
children amounted to 20,907 and 3,143, respectively, whilst the number of
notices received amounted to 13,393 and 1,859.
Speaking generally the Vaccination Act is not enforced with sufficient
rigour. In Hissar town 81 cases of failure to comply with the Vaccination Act
were referred to the Criminal Courts by whom they were adequately dealt
with, whilst in Ambala municipality, as the result of 19 prosecutions, 14
persons had their children vaccinated. In Amritsar, as the result of 72
prosecutions, 60 perrons had their children vaccinated, whilst 12 cases were
still pending. In Multan, legal action was taken against the guardians of
368 children for failure to comply with notices for vaccination and 208 children
were vaccinated by the order of the court. In other towns, in which vaccina-
tion is compulsory, a small number of persons were prosecuted, but the
municipal committees in Montgomery District appear to be averse to taking
legal action.
Inspection work—
Statement No. V.
14. The Director and Assistant Directors of Public Health carried
cut a large number of vaccination inspections during the course of their tours.
The object of these inspections has undergone a charge in conformity with
the changed conditions under which vaccination is now carried out. Less
importance is attached to the actual number of children inspected and more
to the inspection of the machinery for vaccination and the village vaccination
registers. The result of these inspections was almost everywhere satisfactory,
but it would be well if District Medical Officers of Health laid more stress
upon primary vaccination and in arranging for second or even third visits
to be made to villages with a low vaccination index towards the end of
the vaccination reason. They should also check the tendency of the vaccina-
tion staff to re-vaccinate children at too early an age, as this procedure is merely
productive of an increase in the number of re-vaccinatiors without materially
adding to the protection of the individual or of the community.
The Civil Surgeons, District Medical Officers of Health and Municipal
Medical Officers of Health, inspected 140,135 primary vaccinations and
62,694 re-vaccinations, whilst the Superintendents of Vaccination inspected
379,353 primary and 183,147 revaccinations. The percentage of success
reported by the above officers was 97.44 in the case of primary vaccinations
and 67.51 in that of re-vaccinations, whilst the results reported by the
Superintendents of Vaccination were 97.44 and 64.70 respectively.
Inoculation.
15. In a village named Lak Kalan of Bhakkar tahsil (Mianwali
District) some persons, whose address could not be traced, were alleged to have
carried out small-pox inoculation. It is also said that this dangerous procedure