6th triennial report of vaccination in Bengal.

  • Bengal (India)
Date:
[1905]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: 6th triennial report of vaccination in Bengal. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    in 20 districts during the past year. The increase is most striking in the following districts:— Midnapore ... 35,325 Cuttack ... 28,702 Balasore ... 19,894 .Noakhali ... 19,865 Chittagong ... 14,286 Tributary States of Orissa ... 12,097 Bankara ... 10.301 Birbhum ... 9,634 The decrease is specially noticeable in the districts of Puri 11,02;}, Rangpur 9,822, and Shahabad 9,210. An explanation of this is given below. The cause of decrease in the Political States of Chota Nagpur 4,901, Rajshahi 3,962, Pabna 3,446, Saran 3,247, Sontbal Parganas 3,155, Darbhanga 2,875, Jessore 2,421, Palamau 1,993, Bogra 1,985 and Jalpaiguri 1,953 is also given. In Puri it is said to ibe principally due to (1) the negligence of the District Inspector and the Sadar Sub-Inspector who have already been punished; and (2) to the greater accuracy of the figures. In Rangpur it is ascribed to the unusual prevalence of malaria in the district during the first 3 months of the season, and also to the sickness of some of the vaccinators. The decrease in Shahabad, Saran and Darbhanga is said to be due to the greater prevalence of plague in those districts during the past year; while in Rajshahi, Pabna, Jessore, Jalpaiguri and Bogra it is ascribed, \ either to the prevalence of malaria, cholera, etc., or to the sickness among the staff. In the Political States of Chota Nagpur and Sonthal Parganas the decrease occurred in re vaccination, owing to less prevalence of small-pox outbreaks. A similar explanation applies to Palamau, where the decrease was chiefly in revaccination. As regards increase, \vhich is most marked in the Districts of Midnapore, Cuttack, Noakhali and Balasore, the Civil Surgeons of the first three report it to be due to the active co-operation of the District Officers, while the Civil Surgeon of Balasore attributes it to the re-introduction of the arm- to-arm vaccination which had been practically stopped for some years. In Chittagong and Birbhum the increase is mainly due to work in connection with the stamping out of small-pox outbreaks. The Civil Surgeon of Bankura ascribes it to the district having been more healthy. In the Tributary States of Orissa, it was due, I think, to the systematic inspection of vaccination by the Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, Captain Robertson Milne, i.m.s. The causes that bring about fluctuation in the district returns year by year are the following:— Those that tend to aid vaccination— (i) An epidemic of small-pox: this in most districts very much improves the quantity of work; vaccinators, inspectors, executive officers, all bestir themselves, and revaccinations greatly increase. There is almost always a decrease in subsequent years. (ii) Improving the inspecting staff of any district, visits of Deputy Sanitary Commissioners, pressure from head-quarters, etc. Those that tend to hinder vaccination work— (*) Epidemics of plague: this is a very important factor, if it is the first epidemic. As the disease reappears regularly at certain times, it affects the work less. (ii) Unhealthy years generally,—vide this year’s figures of Rangpur, Rajahahi, Jessore, etc. {in) Years of scarcity and famine: the 2 anna fee is more of a hardship than usual. (iv) Advent of a new Inspector: this seems paradoxical, but it is not at all uncommon to find that a change of staff produces an increase in the actual work of the district, but a falling off in the figures due to the new man putting a stop to the “ cooking” of returns by the Sub-Inspectors.
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