History of vaccination and anti-vaccination programmes in India
Drs Robert Wolfe and Lisa Sharp inspired me to look at the history of
vaccination and anti-vaccination programmes in India. The Travancore
State Manual published in 1940 stated thus: …"With a view to protect her
subjects from the outbreak of smallpox which was frequent in those days,
Her Highness sanctioned the establishment of a Smallpox Vaccination
Section in 988 (AD 1813)".…. Her Highness was Rani Gouri Laxmi Bai, the
then reigning queen of the princely State of Travancore. According to
Professor Amathya Sen, Kerala's (Travancore is in Kerala) exceptional
record of progress goes back in history and includes, among other
things,the policy of enlightenment and diffusion of education clearly
articulated by this queen.
Travancore was then the extreme southwest State of India. As people
showed signs of fear against vaccination, the queen set herself an
example by getting all the members of the Royal Household vaccinated
first, to reassure her subjects. The only other similar example is that of
US President Thomas Jefferson, who got 18 members of his family vaccinated
to reassure his people.
In 1864, the Smallpox Vaccination Section in Travancore was converted
into a Division in the Medical Department.A Royal Proclamation, issued in
1879, made vaccination compulsory for all "Government servants, pupils in
schools, vakils, persons seeking help from hospitals, inmates of jails and
persons dependent on State Charities".
Based on newspaper reports, William Tebb, well-known anti-
vaccinationist, concluded that in many parts of India, there were revolts
against compulsory vaccination. Commissioners (the highest authority of
the government in any district) reported that nearly in every village,
there were families who persistently refused vaccination and hid their
offsprings to escape the vaccinators.The Madras Mail of July 2nd 1890
stated that vaccination was very unpopular with many classes.
The Allahabad Pioneer (September 23, 1891) noted that parents washed
out the vaccine virus immediately after vaccination… "the natives are in
the habit of rubbing chalk, chunam or flour with a view , if possible, of
preventing the vesicles rising on their children's arms". This may be
true; during the early fifties, I have heard grandparents offering similar
advice to their young ones. Occasionally, they asked them to run away,
when the vaccinators visited the village
According to Tebb, the editor of The Allahabad Pioneer Mail (6th
October 1891) observed that if anti-vaccinationists could be counted in
their thousands in England, it was small wonder that they could be counted
in their millions in India. Strangely, Tebb who meticulously quoted all
the anti-vaccination titbits from India, did not refer to the enthusastic
and encouraging response to vaccination by a native queen.
Wolfe and Sharp in their excellent article did not consider the fact
that anti-vaccinationists presently play a decisive and dominant role in
communicating their views. Many of them may not be medically qualified.
But they are generally good communicators. They can now propagate their
views through the internet.
Researchers from the University of Sydney searched the net for
information on "vaccination" and "immunisation". Reporting in the
Archives of Diseases in Childhood (2002; 87:22-25) they concluded that
forty four percent of the sites displayed by seven search engines
including google, lycos, yahoo and altavista were anti-vaccination sites.
All the top ten sites from each of the most popular search engines were
contributed by anti-vaccinationists.
Over half of the adults with internet access use it at one time or
other to search for health information. Is it not worrying that search
engines are more likely to guide people to sites which oppose the
vaccination of children? Many of these sites are attractive; they are
packed with information, but they are set up by people with no medical
qualifications.
Professor Simon Chapman, the leading author of the Sydney
study,observed that some of sites used names that implied authority like
"institute" or "centre". Seventy five percent had referred to medical
literature. The sites generally provided unreliable information.
He noted that the web has made information accessible to millions
around the world, but it was very difficult to institute a system of
quality control in this medium.
I have no competing interest to declare.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
26 August 2002
Parthasarathy K. S.
Scientific Officer, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Rapid Response:
History of vaccination and anti-vaccination programmes in India
Drs Robert Wolfe and Lisa Sharp inspired me to look at the history of
vaccination and anti-vaccination programmes in India. The Travancore
State Manual published in 1940 stated thus: …"With a view to protect her
subjects from the outbreak of smallpox which was frequent in those days,
Her Highness sanctioned the establishment of a Smallpox Vaccination
Section in 988 (AD 1813)".…. Her Highness was Rani Gouri Laxmi Bai, the
then reigning queen of the princely State of Travancore. According to
Professor Amathya Sen, Kerala's (Travancore is in Kerala) exceptional
record of progress goes back in history and includes, among other
things,the policy of enlightenment and diffusion of education clearly
articulated by this queen.
Travancore was then the extreme southwest State of India. As people
showed signs of fear against vaccination, the queen set herself an
example by getting all the members of the Royal Household vaccinated
first, to reassure her subjects. The only other similar example is that of
US President Thomas Jefferson, who got 18 members of his family vaccinated
to reassure his people.
In 1864, the Smallpox Vaccination Section in Travancore was converted
into a Division in the Medical Department.A Royal Proclamation, issued in
1879, made vaccination compulsory for all "Government servants, pupils in
schools, vakils, persons seeking help from hospitals, inmates of jails and
persons dependent on State Charities".
Based on newspaper reports, William Tebb, well-known anti-
vaccinationist, concluded that in many parts of India, there were revolts
against compulsory vaccination. Commissioners (the highest authority of
the government in any district) reported that nearly in every village,
there were families who persistently refused vaccination and hid their
offsprings to escape the vaccinators.The Madras Mail of July 2nd 1890
stated that vaccination was very unpopular with many classes.
The Allahabad Pioneer (September 23, 1891) noted that parents washed
out the vaccine virus immediately after vaccination… "the natives are in
the habit of rubbing chalk, chunam or flour with a view , if possible, of
preventing the vesicles rising on their children's arms". This may be
true; during the early fifties, I have heard grandparents offering similar
advice to their young ones. Occasionally, they asked them to run away,
when the vaccinators visited the village
According to Tebb, the editor of The Allahabad Pioneer Mail (6th
October 1891) observed that if anti-vaccinationists could be counted in
their thousands in England, it was small wonder that they could be counted
in their millions in India. Strangely, Tebb who meticulously quoted all
the anti-vaccination titbits from India, did not refer to the enthusastic
and encouraging response to vaccination by a native queen.
Wolfe and Sharp in their excellent article did not consider the fact
that anti-vaccinationists presently play a decisive and dominant role in
communicating their views. Many of them may not be medically qualified.
But they are generally good communicators. They can now propagate their
views through the internet.
Researchers from the University of Sydney searched the net for
information on "vaccination" and "immunisation". Reporting in the
Archives of Diseases in Childhood (2002; 87:22-25) they concluded that
forty four percent of the sites displayed by seven search engines
including google, lycos, yahoo and altavista were anti-vaccination sites.
All the top ten sites from each of the most popular search engines were
contributed by anti-vaccinationists.
Over half of the adults with internet access use it at one time or
other to search for health information. Is it not worrying that search
engines are more likely to guide people to sites which oppose the
vaccination of children? Many of these sites are attractive; they are
packed with information, but they are set up by people with no medical
qualifications.
Professor Simon Chapman, the leading author of the Sydney
study,observed that some of sites used names that implied authority like
"institute" or "centre". Seventy five percent had referred to medical
literature. The sites generally provided unreliable information.
He noted that the web has made information accessible to millions
around the world, but it was very difficult to institute a system of
quality control in this medium.
I have no competing interest to declare.
Competing interests: No competing interests