12
VACCINATION REPORT
Rs. 10. These posts are also recommended to be made pensionable. It now
remains for the District Boards in whom these appointments are vested to
select suitable men for the posts and thus make vaccination in the Presidency a
success. The reorganization was ordered to be given effect to from 1st April 1918.
(ii) The total vaccination work performed during the past two years by all
the agencies throughout the Presidency is shown in the following table:—
Primary vaccination (including secondary) ...
Re-vaccination ... ... ... ... ...
Total ...
1916-17.
1,481,337
218,589
1,699,926
1917-18.
1,432,386
274,892
1,707,278
As compared with the previous year the total number of cases under primary
and re-vaccination showed an increase of 7,352. There was a fall under primary
vaccination, but an increase in the number of re-vaccinations. Considering that
many of the old vaccinators worked with much indifference as they knew that
they would have to lose their position with the introduction of the new scheme,
the outturn may, on the whole, be taken as satisfactory. The increase in the
number of re-vaccinations is noted with satisfaction. The importance of re-
vaccination as a preventive against smallpox cannot be over-estimated. Much
of the disease and deaths from smallpox is confined to adults in whom the effects
of primary vaccination have, either wholly or partially, disappeared with time. I
would therefore urge on the district authorities never to relax their efforts to
push on this wholesome measure. The inconvenience resulting from re-vaccina
tion is often very little and most people are able to carry on their ordinary
avocation without a day's interruption after re-vaccination. There is, therefore,
no excuse for avoiding re-vaccination. As compared with the previous year,
large increases are noticeable in the districts of Coimbatore (+ 9,850), Guntūr
(+ 9,276) and Nellore (+ 6,419). The districts which show a great decrease in
this direction are Vizagapatam (— 8,541), Salem (— 7,399), Ganjām (— 5,829)
and Chittoor (— 5,144). The decrease in these districts is attributed to vacan
cies in the staff of vaccinators which could not be filled up for want of suitable
hands, diminished prevalence of smallpox and despondency of the old set of
vaccinators who expected to be sent away at the close of the year.
(iii) The following table shows the total successful vaccinations by all
agencies and the percentage of successful cases including re-vaccinations :—
Establishment.
(1)
Local Fund vaccinators ...
Government
do.
...
Municipal
do. ...
Cantonment
do. ...
Dispensaries ...
Medical subordinates ...
Total ...
Number of successful vaccinations.
1916-17.
Primary
vaccination.
(2)
1,090,029
13,900
107,326
2,950
145
213
1,214,563
Re-vaccination.
(3)
97,737
4,119
34,500
1,667
30
6,771
144,824
1917-18.
Primary
vaccination.
(4)
989,157
15,057
113,652
3,497
189
103
1,121,655
Re-vaccination.
(5)
121,763
3,024
41,079
2,763
92
7,252
175,973
Total of successful
vaccinations.
1916-17.
(6)
1,187,766
18,019
141,826
4,617
175
6,984
1,359,387
1917-18.
(7)
1,110,920
18,081
154,731
6,260
281
7,355
1,297,628
Ratio percent
of successful cases.
1916-17.
Primary
vaccination.
(8)
86.2
82.0
93.0
87.6
98.0
88.0
86.7
Re-vaccination.
(9)
76.7
80.2
68.6
40.9
100.0
66.3
73.4
1917-18.
Primary
vaccination.
(10)
82.6
81.8
91.0
85.2
99.0
52.8
83.4
Re-vaccination.
(11)
73.4
73.4
67.0
41.5
87.6
70.5
70.8
Ratio per cent
of total suc
cessful cases.
1916-17.
(12)
85.3
81.6
85.6
62.0
98.3
66.8
85.0
1917-18.
(13)
81.5
80.3
83.1
58.1
94.9
70.1
81.4
The percentage of success both under primary vaccination and re-vaccination
showed a marked fall. The total fall is 3.6 per cent when compared with 1916-17
and the fall in the percentage of success under primary vaccination including
secondary operations is 3.3. As observed in the last year's report it would be
more correct to compare the success rates under primary vaccination alone. A