5
Both primary vaccination and re-vaccination show a regrettable decline in the
percentage of success during the year under report. Compared with the previous
year the decrease under primary vaccination amounts to 16.7 per cent and under
re-vaccination to 11.8 per cent. It is certain that this is partly due to deteriora
tion in the quality of the vaccine lymph manufactured at the King Institute and
partly to the temporary substitution of glycerine vaccine. As a result of Major
Cunningham's and Dr. Kesava Pai's visit to Belgaum and the Punjab the whole
question was thoroughly investigated and a scheme for improved methods of lymph
manufacture was submitted to Government in this office letter D. No. 98 K.I.,
dated 12th April 1921. It is hoped that the introduction of the method of
manufacture and storage therein recommended will ensure better vaccination
results, but further improvements are under trial and experiment and the problem,
as it presents itself in this Presidency, is by no means solved. The further experi
ments with the Madras and Bangalore lymph referred to in G.O. Mis. No. 438¬
P.H., dated 3rd May 1921, were cancelled in accordance with instructions given
in G.O. No. 706-P.H., dated 22nd June 1921.
8. Infantile Vaccination.—When compared with the previous year, there was a
decrease of 55,528 in the number of children successfully vaccinated under one
year of age. The districts which showed a decrease of over 5 per cent in this
respect were Ganjām (—29.3), Malabar (—23.0), South Arcot (—13.4), Chingleput
(—13.1), South Kanara (—12.9), Chittoor (—11.2), the Nilgiris (—11.1), Vizaga¬
patam (—10.7), Kistna (—10.5), Salem (—10.3), Gōdāvari (—9.0), Tinnevelly
(—8.0), Madura (—7.0), Coimbatore (—6.7) and Guntūr ( — 5.1).
Among municipalities where primary vaccination is compulsory, marked
decreases occurred in Dharapuram ( — 57.1), Tuticorin (—54.9), Karur (—43.2),
Anantapur ( — 42.3), Salem (—41.5), Bellary (—37.6), Periyakulam ( — 31.5),
Calicut (—31.3), Tinnevelly (—28.2), Vizianagram (—26.1), Ellore (—25.4),
Cuddapah (—24.7), Tiruppattur (—19.2), Vizagapatam (—18.3), Peddapur
( — 18.3), Ongole (—18.2), Masulipatam (—15.5) and Hospet (—15.4). From
what I have seen of vaccination in the municipalities of Berhampur, Vizagapatam
and Vizianagram, etc., I am afraid municipal vaccination receives little or no
attention and the supervision of the vaccinators is carried out in a very perfunc
tory fashion. During my inspections I have come across large numbers of
unprotected children in spite of the fact that vaccination is compulsory in all
municipal areas. The unprotected registers were not properly maintained and
without these it is impossible for compulsory vaccination to be satisfactorily
carried out. Municipal councils seem to disown all responsibility in the matter
of vaccination on the ground that vaccination is under the supervision of the local
medical officer. This is an erroneous attitude. These bodies are responsible to
the tax-payers for all that concerns the health and welfare of the people, and
they are in duty bound to watch every branch of administration and check
dereliction of duty on the part of their subordinates.
9. The cost of the various vaccination staffs and the average cost of each
successful case are exhibited in the annexed statement :—
Establishment.
Government establishment ... ...
Local Fund
do.
...
...
...
Municipal
do. ... ... ...
Cantonments
do. ... ... ...
Total ..
Total expenditure.
1919-20.
RS.
13,853
3,86,028
75,424
4,393
4,79,700
A.
13
11
4
1
0
P.
10
10
11
8
3
l920-21.
RS.
15,070
4,44,578
79,471
4,033
5,43,153
A.
6
3
3
9
6
P.
0
5
10
6
9
Average cost of each
successful case.
1919-20.
RS.
0
0
0
0
0
A.
12
6
9
8
7
P.
11
10
8
0
4
1020-21.
RS.
1
0
0
0
0
A.
3
10
11
13
10
P.
6
4
6
1
8
B