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prevalence of malarial fever during October, November and December 1906.
In Nadia, the same causes which were in operation in Jessore with certain
additional factors, viz., cholera and extreme difficulty in realizing fees, tended
to bring about the decrease. In Howrah, the decrease is chiefly in Municipal
vaccination. It is due to a large number of operations having been performed
in the Howrah town in the previous year in connection with the suppression
of small-pox. In the rural areas of the district, the decrease is said to be due
to the outbreak of cholera of a virulent type during the greater part of the
vaccination season. In Darbhanga, it is ascribed to famine. It is reported
that many parents refused vaccination for inability to pay fees and many
children were so weak that vaccination could not be safely done.
In Birbhum, it is due to the prevalence of a malignant type of malarial
fever and of cholera, and the illness of the staff.
In the 24-Parganas, it is said to be due to the outbreak of cholera through-
out the district, and to slackness of the vaccinators owing to difficulty in
realizing vaccination fees.
Vaccination in Municipalities.
5. In the Calcutta Municipality, 41,300 operations were performed during
the year against 85,287 of 1905-06. There was a
decrease of 43,987 cases, which the Health Officer
explains as follows: " Although small-pox has been epidemic in Calcutta during
the latter part of the official year 1906-07, the epidemic has not been so severe
as it was during the latter part, of 1905-06, hence the number of people
who availed themselves of the protection afforded by vaccination was
considerably less."
In mufassal municipalities, dispensaries, etc., the number of cases was
145,949 against 122,105 of the previous year, shewing an increase of 23,844.
The average work of a vaccinator in mufassal municipalities was 848
against 709, while that of licensed and District Board vaccinators was 934
and 1,778, against 986 and 1,905, respectively, of the previous year.
Protection afforded to infants.
6. During the year under review, out of 1,606,128, the estimated number
of infants under one year available for vaccination,
814,772, that is 507.29 per thousand, were success-
fully vaccinated, against 476.62 of 1905-06. In 17 districts, viz., Ranchi,
Sambalpur, Murshidabad, Palamau, Darjeeling, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Hazaribagh,
Sonthal Parganas, Manbhum, Nadia, Midnapore, Monghyr, Angul, Burdwan,
Cuttack and Singhbhum, the protection was over 500 per mile, while in one
district only, viz., Birbhum, it was below 200 per mille.
Although the statistics furnished by the illiterate vaccinators are not
always reliable, it may be fairly assumed that infant vaccination is making
steady progress from year to year. I am, however, inclined to doubt the
accuracy of the figures furnished under this head by the Civil Surgeon of
Murshidabad, as it is impossible to believe that this district, which has always
been backward in respect of infant vaccination, should at once stand third in
the list of the Bengal districts with a protection of 892.71 per mille of the
infant population. The matter is being enquired into.
The protection afforded to infants in municipalities is shown in Appendix
VII attached to the report. It will be seen that 872.88 per mille of the
surviving infant population was protected during the year, against 858.20 of
the preceding year.
Recess work.
7. During the recess or non-working season of the past year, 162,966
operations were performed in connection with small-
pox epidemics and the upkeep of lymph for
emergencies, against 118,937 of the previous year, the increase being almost
solely due to the more severe prevalence of the disease in many places.
Six-puncture vaccination.
8. The total number of successful primary and re-vaccination operations
in six-points was 793,834 and 13,049, respectively,
against 730,800 and 6,336, respectively, of the
previous year.
Factory and Tea-garden vacci¬
nation.
9. In Factories and tea-gardens, with a population of 145,897, 5,306
operations were performed, of which 3,920 were
primary and 1,386 re-vaccination cases. The ratio
of success in primary and re-vaccination cases was
98.44 and 42.92, respectively.