10
Lahore Division have achieved the unenviable distinction not only of
showing a lower index than any other division but also of showing a decline in
vaccination during the year under review as compared with the average figures
for the preceding five years.
Inoculation.
16. No instance of inoculation of matter derived from smallpox scabs
came to light during the year and it would appear that this practice has
almost completely died out in the Punjab.
Vaccination in the
Punjab States.
17. Reports received from those Punjab States which entertain their
own vaccination establishment are summarised below : —
Serial No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Name of State.
Patiala ... ... ...
Bahawalpur ... ...
Jind
...
...
...
Faridkot ... ... ...
Kapurthala ... ... ...
Nabha ...
...
...
Vaccinations.
Primary.
46,111
18,899
8,777
4,775
4,635
519
Re-vaccinations.
23,872
89
1,053
51
831
...
Success rate.
Primary.
99.21
99.86
96.17
97.37
87.59
85.36
Re-vaccinations.
77.26
86.67
75.92
62.07
63.90
...
Diagram.
18. A diagram showing the death-rate from smallpox per 10,000 of
population during the year 1924-25, the average recorded death-rate from
smallpox for the five years ending 1923-24, the proportion of successful
vaccinations during the year 1924-25 and during the preceding six years
per 10,000 of population in each district of the Province is attached to this
report.
The chart shows that the three districts least protected against small-
pox (Montgomery, Jhelum and Shahpur) as determined by the proportion of
successful vaccinations per 10,000 of population during the preceding six years
(black columns) also exhibit the highest death rate from smallpox during the
preceding five years, whilst in one of these districts (Jhelum) the smallpox
death-rate during the year under review (red columns) was considerably higher
than that of any other district.
Punjab
Vaccine
Institute.
19. A brief report on the work performed in the Punjab Vaccine
Institute by K. B. Dr. Abdur Rahman, D. P. H., is given in appendix C.
As already stated the vaccine issued by the Institute more than
maintained its high reputation for potency, whilst the total number of tubes
issued during the year showed a slight increase— the figures being 43,035 in
1924-25 as compared with 41,083 in the previous year. In addition to meeting
the needs of the Punjab the Institute supplied vaccine to the Military
Department, to the North-West Frontier Province, to the States of Kashmir
and Jammu, Bikaner, Nepal, Alwar, Dholpur, Kathiawar, Poonch, Rajputana
and others, whilst vaccine was also despatched to Seistan, Baluchistan, the
Gilgit Agency, Chinese, Turkistan, Persia and Egypt.
The Punjab Vaccine Institute is provided with facilities for
carrying out research work, but the only work of this nature carried out
during the year was the systematic analysis of milk and ghi by the Chemist
attached to the Sanitary Board for the purpose of enabling standards of purity
to be fixed under section 16 of the Punjab Adulteration of Food Act.
The smooth and efficient working of the Punjab Vaccine Institute
during the year under review reflects credit upon the Director, K. B. Dr.
Abdur Rahman and upon Mr. H. C. Phillips, Superintendent of the Institute.