No. 1396 L., 11TH AUGUST 1900.
3
4. Infantile Vaccination.—Excluding the work done in the Cantonments of
Bangalore and Secunderabad, the total number of operations performed during the
year was 32.3 per mille of the population against 31.2 per mille in 1898-99, and the
number of children under one year reported to have been successfully vaccinated
rose from 280,354 to 321,445. Compared with the registered births of the year,
30.0 per cent. of the children born during the year were protected from small-pox
against 29.6 in the previous year. Infantile vaccination was again unsatisfactory in
the districts of South Canara, Malabar and Gódávari, although there was a slight
improvement in the last-named district. The earnest attention of the Presidents
of the District Boards concerned is drawn to this subject. As compared with
the previous year, there was a rise of 8.3 per cent. in Kurnool and of 8.2 per cent.
in Ganjám and a fall of over 5 per cent. in Coimbatore, Madura and Vizagapatam.
Excluding Madura, in some of the zamindaris of which births are not registered,
the best results were achieved in the districts of Bellary and Chingleput and in
the Municipalities of Madura, Ootacamund, Salem, Vizianagram and Walajapet,
while in the City of Madras only 71.9 per cent. of the children born during the
year are reported to have been successfully vaccinated. In Cochin, Tanjore and
Berhampur, the outturn of work was unsatisfactory, being less than 60 per cent. of
the registered births of the year, and the Municipal Councils concerned are requested
to devote their special attention to the subject and to strictly enforce the compulsory
provisions of the District Municipalities Act. The proportion of infants protected
from small-pox showed an increase of over 30 per cent. in Cuddapah, Walajapet and
Srírangam, owing apparently to strict supervision over the work of the vaccinators.
On the other hand, there was a decrease of over 20 per cent. in Chingleput, Erode,
Mangalore and Nellore, which has not been explained.
5. Agency Tracts.—There was a decline in the work done by the Government
vaccinators in the Agency tracts of Ganjám, Vizagapatam and Gódávari, the total
number of operations performed by them being 35,539 or 4,974 less than in 1898-99.
The greater portion of the decrease occurred in the Ganjám hill tracts, where the
number of operations was below that of the previous year by 3,840. The average
number of operations performed by each vaccinator in the Gunapur circle fell from
2,254 to 1,289, but no explanation of this large decline has been offered. On the
other hand, there was a small improvement in the work done by the vaccinators
employed in the Jeypore circle and the Gudem hills.
Vizagapatam
..
..
.. —
Ganjám
..
..
..
.. —
Trichinopoly
..
..
.. —
Coimbatore ..
..
..
.. —
Bellary
..
..
..
.. —
Malabar
..
..
..
.. —
South Canara
. .
..
. . —
16,738
5,065
4,838
4,629
1,006
406
208
6. Local Fund Areas.—The total number of operations in Local Fund areas
showed an increase of 50,397, and the average outturn of work for each vaccinator rose
from 1,369 to 1,440. In fourteen districts there was an increase, which was large in
Gódávari (17,819), North Arcot (11,302), Tanjore (7,724), Salem (7,500), Tinnevelly
(7,290) and Kistna (7,088). It is worthy of note that in all these districts, except
Tanjore, there was a decrease in the pre-
vious year. On the other hand, there was
a decline in the seven districts noted in
the margin. In Ganjám and Trichinopoly
this has occurred for two years and in
Coimbatore for four years in succession.
The explanation offered for the short work
in these cases and for the great fall in
Vizagapatam cannot be accepted as adequate, and the subject should receive the
earnest attention of the Presidents of the District Boards concerned. The average
outturn of work for each vaccinator was highest in Tinnevelly (2,129), and it was
more than 1,500 cases in Chingleput, Gódávari, Kistna, Madura, South Arcot, South
Canara, Tanjore and Vizagapatam. As compared with the previous year, there was a
large increase in North Arcot (314) and a larger decline in Vizagapatam (421), the
explanation offered for the latter being the absence of vaccinators on suspension,
want of help in the zamindari villages, and the absence of small-pox. There was
an improvement in the quality of the work turned out, fourteen districts having
exhibited higher figures than in the previous year and the general percentage of suc-
cess having risen from 88.5 to 91.3. The proportion was high in the Nilgiris (98.7),