(2)
The principal decrease occurred in the following districts:—
Mymensingh... ...
Noakhali... ...
Darjeeling... ...
Chittagong... ...
50,999
19,973
13,830
13,116
Nadia... ...
Saran...
...
Pabna... ...
Murshidabad... ...
7,759
6,916
4,721
4,506
The increase in Puri is due to the employment of a larger number of)
vaccinators by the District Board. In Midnapore, Sonthal Parganas, Manbhum,
Tippera, Dinajpore, and Gaya, it is accounted for by the prevalence of small-
pox in those districts which necessitated an increased number of operations.
In the other districts named the increase is attributed to the greater activity
of the staff.
In Mymensingh, Noakhali, and Darjeeling a larger number of persons
was vaccinated in the previous year in connection with the stamping out of
small-pox in those districts. During the year under report there was no
such small-pox epidemic in those districts and hence the decrease. The Civil
Surgeons also doubt the accuracy of previous year's figures. In Chittagong,
the decrease was due to the sudden abolition by the District Board of the posts
of certain paid vaccinators. In the other districts it is attributed to malarial
fever, cholera, &c.
Protection afforded to infants.
5. During the year under review, out of 2,481,991, the estimated
number of infants under one year available for
vaccination, 894,791, that is 360.51 per thousand,
were successfully vaccinated against 320.61 of the previous year, the figures
having been calculated on the actual birth-rate of the province. There is thus
some improvement which must be gradual and slow, having regard to the fact
that in. most districts the people in general are very reluctant to have their
children under one year vaccinated. In 15 districts, viz., Ranchi, Malda,
Bhagalpore, Darjeeling, Angul, Political States of Chota Nagpur, Khulna,
Birbhum, Faridpur, Purnea, Darbhanga, Palamau, Sonthal Parganas, Manbhum,
and Jalpaiguri, over 500 per mille of the infant population was protected,
while in 9 districts, viz., Singbhum, Mymensingh, Noakhali, Bogra, Tippera,
Puri, Tributary States of Orissa, Balasore, and Cuttack the ratio ranged be-
tween 200 to 100 per thousand.
Appendix No. VII attached to the report shows the protection afforded to
infants in municipalities: 723.15 per mille of the surviving infant population
was protected against 696.26 of the previous year. The excess number of
vaccinations over the available population in some municipalities as shown in
the statement is said to be due to (1 the children of rural areas coming in
towns with their parents and getting vaccinated there; (2) defective birth
registration, and (3) children born in the previous year being vaccinated
during the year under review.
The attention of Civil Surgeons has been drawn to their responsibility in
the matter of infant vaccination in towns where the protection is below 500 per
thousand.
6. Vaccination in Municipalities.—In the Calcutta Municipality 16,303 opera-
tions were performed during the year as compared with 20,830 of the previous
year. The decrease is attributed by the Health Officer to the following
causes:—
(a) The District Health Officer as well as the vaccinators were new to the
work.
(b) There were constant changes in the Department, the vaccinators throw-
ing up their appointments to take others which were more remunerative or
congenial.
(c) The posts of Deputy Superintendent and Inspectors having been abolished
there was no immediate supervision of the vaccinators' work. The District
Health Officers who have many other duties cannot devote sufficient time to this
work.
Only 2,626 infants under one year of age were successfully vaccinated in
Calcutta, out of 7,976 available for vaccination. This extremely low rate of
infant vaccination is probably due to the causes enumerated above.