Report on the public health administration of Burma : 1935.

  • Burma. Department of Public Health.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health administration of Burma : 1935. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/200 (page 17)
    February to June and there were 138 attacks with 100 deaths. This unusually high case mortality indicates that many of the non-fatal cases must have gone unreported. The Municipal Committee was wise enough to appoint a wholetime health officer in April, and this step should go a long way towards preventing the concealment of future cases. In Toungoo the first cases occurred in January and the outbreak reached its maximum in April. The formation of a central emergency public health committee, and of ward sub-committees, to persuade the people to accept vaccination was urged by this Department. Four vaccination stations were set up and moved about daily from quarter to quarter. This intensive campaign resulted in 7,147 vaccinations being performed. Altogether the total number of vaccinations during the year was 15,024 out of a population of 23,223, which is satisfactory. In Rangoon the disease started in January. Very active measures were at once inaugurated by the Corporation Health Officer. The normal strength of 21 vaccinators was increased to 39. The imminence of a severe outbreak of the disease was widely advertised and as a result, during February and March, 104,502 persons took advantage of vaccination. This measure checked the outbreak at an early stage, and undoubtedly prevented what might otherwise have been a severe epidemic in the city. 18. Smallpox cases treated in hospitals —The health reports from districts show that during the year 607 cases were treated in hospitals. Of these, 477 were in the contagious diseases hospitals at Rangoon, Akyab, Bassein, Moulmein and Mandalay. The balance of 130 cases were treated in the isolation wards attached to civil hospitals. Histories of the 607 cases show that 355 had been vaccinated at some time or other and 252 were unvaccinated. The case mortality rate amongst the vaccinated was 10'42 per cent, while that amongst the unvaccinated was 32T4 per cent. While these figures emphasise the value of vaccination, it is also quite clear that as long as smallpox is as prevalent and as severe in character as it is in Burma to-day, revacci¬ nation is almost equally important as primary vaccination. 19. Plague (Provincial) Oil.—It is satisfactory to record that this rate is the second lowest recorded in the province for this disease, since it first appeared in epidemic form in the year 1905. It is 0'08 below the previous year and 0‘03 below the five-year mean. The improvement has been in the urban areas. As usual the seaboard districts of Arakan, Tavoy and Mergui were free. Other districts recording no mortality from plague were Hanthawaddy, Myaungmya, Thayetmyo, Pakokku, Kyaukse and Lower Chindwin. November to March was as usual the period during which the disease was most pre¬ valent, 1,013 deaths out of a total of 1,312 occurring in these months. Plague (Rural) 0 07.—This figure is 0*02 over the previous year and 0*02 in excess of the five-year mean. The highest rates have been 2 Statements II and XII and Vital Statistics Chart III, Statemen' VIB.