( 2 )
In the districts of Patna, Gaya, and Saran the decrease is attributed by the
Civil Surgeons to the prevalence of plague, while in the other districts named,
except Puri, it is said to be due either to the unusual floods of September 1900 or
to the prevalence of malarial fever and cholera. In Puri it is attributed to
the employment of a much smaller number of vaccinators by the District Board,
which cannot afford to provide more free vaccination than they do, and to the
very great difficulty experienced in getting licensed vaccinators owing to the
extreme difficulty in realizing fees.
The average number of operations per man in rural areas was 944, against
593 of the previous year. The increase is due to the exclusion, in accordance
with Bengal Government orders Nos. 1315S. and 1665S., dated, respectively,
the 29th March and 19th April 1901, of apprentices in calculating the average.
In Calcutta and mufassal municipalities, dispensaries, etc., the average was
1,494 and 602, against 850 and 460, respectively, of 1899-1900. This increase
of work is satisfactory.
Primary vaccination.
5. The total number of primary vaccinations performed in Bengal
during 1900-1901 was 2,227,942, against 2,203,984
of 1899-1900. Out of this number, 2,116,342 were
done in rural areas, 16,783 in Calcutta, including the operations done in the
Animal Vaccination Depôt, and 94,817 in mufassal municipalities and
dispensaries, against 2,100,121, 15,214, and 88,649, respectively, of 1899-1900.
There was thus a slight improvement in all the areas concerned. The ratio
per cent. of success was 97.75, against 97.67 of the preceding year. In the
three areas named, the rate of success was 97.87, 95.07, and 95.58, respectively.
Protection afforded to infants.
6. During the year under review, out of 3,117,036, the estimated number
of infants under one year available for vaccination,
589,376 were successfully vaccinated. The pro-
portion of infants successfully vaccinated per thousand of the surviving
infant population available for vaccination during the year was 189.08, against
201.25 in 1899-1900 and 156.85 in 1898-99. The greatest protection was
afforded in the districts of Darjeeling (704), Malda (550), Ranchi (543),
Khulna (449), and Bhagalpur (444) per mille of infant population. The
districts of Howrah, Balasore, the Tributary States of Orissa, Hooghly, Bogra,
Faridpur, Birbhum, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Cuttack, Shahabad, and Puri show
the least amount of protection, the number of infants successfully vaccinated
in these districts having been below 100 per mille of the population.
The protection afforded to infants in municipalities is shown in Statement
No. VII, appended to the report. It will be seen that in most municipalities
there was a marked improvement as compared with the previous year. Last
year, I impressed upon Civil Surgeons the necessity of protecting the
infant population in municipal areas, where the Compulsory Vaccination Act
was in force, and the result shows that greater attention has been paid to this
important matter. The attention of the Civil Surgeons of the districts where
the result is still unsatisfactory will again be invited to the deficiency.
7. Revaccination.—There were 118,369 revaccinations with 70,098
successful cases, against 48,537 with 24,071 successful cases in 1899-1900. In
rural areas there was an increase of 21,890 successful cases, and in Calcutta
and mufassal municipalities and dispensaries, etc., the increase was 9,027 and
15,110, respectively. The ratio per cent. of successful cases was 59.22, against
49.59 of the previous year. The high percentage of success is due chiefly
to the large number of revaccinations among adults who had been vaccinated
in their childhood, and in whose case the prophylactic power of the vaccine
virus had been destroyed.
8. Recess work.—During the recess, or non-working season, of 1900-1901,
113,392 operations were performed, chiefly in connection with small-pox epidem-
ics and the up-keep of lymph for emergencies, against 94,832 in 1899-1900.
There was an increase of 18,560 cases.
9. Six-puncture Vaccination.—Five hundred and fifty-two thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven successful primary operations were performed in six
points, against 481,579 and 522,948 of 1899-1900 and 1898-99, respectively.
In revaccination also the successful operations rose from 5,813 and 7,424
during 1899-1900 and 1898-99, respectively. to 9,177 in 1900-1901. This
increase is satisfactory.