§ Mr. Viantasked the Secretary of State for War when the vaccine against scrub typhus began to be used on the troops fighting in the Far East; how many men have been inoculated with this vaccine in the areas in which scrub typhus occurs; whether he has received any information as to the number of cases of scrub typhus each month since the disease first attacked our troops; and if he will publish the figures.
§ Mr. Lawson:The first batch of scrub typhus vaccine was despatched to India for use in A.L.F.S.E.A. in June, 1945, and by December, 1945, 268,000 cc. had been despatched. Information is not at present available in the War Office as to the number of men inoculated and information as to the number of cases relates only to 1944 and 1945. The following figures of cases of scrub typhus were reported to the War Office for the years 1944 and 1945:
1944 1945 January … … … 100 291 February … … … 22 40 March … … … nil 27 April … … … 4 39 May … … … 35 24 June … … … 46 79 July … … … 133 210 August … … … 835 157 September … … 694 111 October … … … 728 177 November … … … 677 120 December … … … 530 65