Report of the Health Officer, Corporation of Madras Health Department.

  • Madras (India). Health Department.
Date:
[1938]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Health Officer, Corporation of Madras Health Department. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/178 (page 2)
    The trouble in the control of small-pox is increased by the long in¬ cubation period of the disease extending upto 12 and even 14 days. A person contracting this disease can remain apparently healthy and travel long distances, develop the disease and introduce it into the city without any¬ body becoming aware of it. It is infectious from the very commencement of the symptoms to the disappearance of the last scab from the body, which may take place only after such a long period of 6 to 8 weeks. It is these two factors peculiar to this disease which enable it to take a heavy toll in congested cities. The following figures show the mortality from small-pox in the city and province during the last ten years : Year. Madras Province. Madras city. 1929 9,708 506 1930 6,942 188 1931 4,005 24 1932 5,363 176 1933 10,745 837 1934 18,088 131 1935 12,330 59 1936 4,581 3 1937 2,446 196 1938 2,273 561 It will be seen that small-pox was prevailing in the city in 1937. In January, 1938, it assumed an epidemic form. Vigorous measures were adopted immediately. 92 students of the Madras Medical College, deputed for training in vaccination and sanitation, assisted the permanent staff in pushing on vaccination and re-vaccination. They performed over 35,000 vaccinations. But for this timely co-operation the Corporation would have been forced to spend a lot of money on special staff. Some pf them had been trained vaccinators and the others were given necessary training and put on work under the divisional sanitary inspectors and medical officers in charge of vaccination and registration. 1,51,504 vaccinations were performed during the year which is the second largest in the annals of the Corporation. * * # i * j t . 97% of the cases were hospitalised. Patients’ belongings and houses were thoroughly disinfected ; contacts were Paced and vaccinated. They were kept under strict watch for a period of 21 days. It is by strict adherence to rhe above practice that the mortality was kept as low as possible. A comparison of the mortality from small-pox in Bombay and Calcutta will show that Madras has been more fortunate. Population (Census for 1931). Deaths from small-pox. Rate per 1000 of the population. Calcutta. 11,40,882 2,193 1*92 Bombay. 11,61,383 1,882 1-6 Madras. 6,47,230 561 0-87 Vaccination and re-vaccination once in 4 years give sufficient protection to any one to ward off a severe attack. Early notification of cases and prompt segregation are equally important. But the trouble in Madras is that we have a population who bitterly oppose re-vaccination even during the height of an epidemic. They fear that the introduction of the vaccine may cause some harm to their health. \