2
VACCINATION REPORT.
There has been a decrease of 1,109 under primary vaccination, but a large
increase (15,400) under re-vaccination, and therefore a total increase of 14,291
over last year. The decrease in primary vaccination is to be largely attributed
to the fact that, compulsory vaccination having now been enforced in the larger
municipalities for some years, the majority of the child population have been
operated on; that is to say, that there has been a decrease in the available population
under 10 years of age, as the arrears of the children formerly unprotected have
now been largely overtaken ; and it is seen that there is an actual decrease in
municipalities under this head of 2,463. A large decrease under dispensary vacci-
nation was only what was to be expected, as the provisions of G.O., No. 1066 L.,
Local and Municipal, of 9th May 1892, came to be more widely known and acted
on. The actual decrease is 9,828 as compared with 9,011 cases last year. The
increase under re-vaccination is largely due to the issuing of circular letters by the
Acting Sanitary Commissioner to Presidents of District Boards and Chairmen of
Municipal Councils, calling their attention to the importance of re- vaccination and
explaining that, unless this measure were adopted, a large unprotected adult popu-
lation would arise, amongst whom an epidemic might at any time occur.
The districts showing the largest increase are as follows :—Vizagapatam
(19,817), Tanjore (9,183), South Arcot (6,114), Tinnevelly (5,891), Madura (5,760),
and Chingleput (5,717). The increase or decrease in a district is found to depend
not only on the interest in vaccination taken by the District Medical and Sanitary
Officer, but much more largely on the President of the District Board with whom
rests the exercise of that influence which is found necessary. As a typical instance
I would cite the case of the Anantapur district, where last year a decrease of 458
cases was noted, and where opposition to vaccination is probably more bitter than
in any other place in the Presidency. Yet here, through the personal interest taken
in the matter by Mr. Manavedan Rajah, the Acting Collector, and the issue of strict
orders to all Revenue authorities, an increase of 3,449 has been realized.
5. Below is given a table showing the rates of success in primary and re-
vaccinations during 1892-93 and 1893-94 :—
Establishment.
Local Fund vaccinators ...
Government
do. ...
Native States
do. ...
Municipal
do. ...
Cantonment
do.
Dispensaries ... ... ...
Medical subordinates ...
Total ...
Number of successful vaccinations.
1892-93.
Primary
vaccination.
889,648
13,823
6,496
100,613
4,806
30,292
3,827
1,049,505
Re-vaccina-
tion.
29,942
93
18
7,199
602
1,496
5,852
45,202
1893-94.
Primary
vaccination.
897,051
14,015
5,536
98,150
3,407
23,079
1,943
1,043,181
Re-vaccina-
tion.
37,074
111
...
8,986
1,235
1,347
7,619
56,372
Ratio per cent. of successful
cases.
1892-93.
Primary
vaccination.
95.4
91.9
94.7
94.6
92.3
84.2
78.4
94.8
Re-vaccina-
tion.
83.7
89.4
78.3
83.8
68.2
62.8
57.0
77.9
1893-94.
Primary
vaccination.
96.4
91.2
911
97.0
93.6
89.2
81.9
96.2
Re-vaccina-
tion.
88.4
83.5
...
85.0
71.4
72.5
56.3
80.8
Ratio per
cent. of total
successful
cases.
1892-93.
95.0
91.9
946
93.8
888
82.9
63.9
94.0
1893-94.
96.1
91.1
91.1
95.9
86.5
88.0
60.1
95.2
The percentage of recorded success has risen in the case of both primary and
re-vaccination, but this must be read along with Statement V in the appendix,
where the figures, as verified by District Medical and Sanitary Ofiicers and myself,
are contrasted with those claimed by Deputy Inspectors and vaccinators.
6. The following statement shows the operations arranged according to age,
and it will be seen that there has been a falling off, in the cases ' under one year of
age,' of 17,532, the greatest defaulters in this way being the Local Fund Vacci-
nators. It is found that the poorer classes object to have their children vaccinated
at an early age, as they fear the occurrence of fever; and until vaccination is made
compulsory, this objection must always tend to obscure the advantages of vaccina-
tion as shown by statistics ; for it is in the first years of life that small-pox proves
most deadly.