Anti-measles drive in Jharkhand

                                                  

Anti-measles drive from Nov 18

Jaideep Deogharia, Nov 11, 2011 

RANCHI: The entire health apparatus in the state has fastened its seat belt to ensure success of the second round of measles vaccination drive being launched in 19 districts of the state on November 18 and December 2 targeting 57 lakh children in the age group of nine months to 10 years. 

Unicef, Jharkhand, in collaboration with the department of health, the government of Jharkhand, WHO, National Polio Surveillance Programme (NPSP) and MCHIP organized media sensitization workshops to create awareness about the campaign. 

Principal secretary, health, K Vidyasagar, said public awareness about vaccination is not sufficient as people should also know about the safety standards to be followed. "People should know that there is an elaborate arrangement to handle adverse events following immunization (AEFI) as 95 per cent of such events occur due to lapses in the programme," he said. 

The campaign is being launched in Bokaro, Dhanbad, Dumka, East Singhbhum, Godda, Hazaribag, Pakur, Ranchi, Sahebganj and Simdega on November 18 and on December 2 in the remaining nine districts of Chatra, Garhwa, Giridih, Koderma, Latehar, Palamu, Ramgarh, Saraikela and West Singhbhum. Earlier, the first phase of measles vaccination campaign was held in the five districts of Deoghar, Gumla, Jamtara, Lohardaga and Khunti on January 31, 2011. 

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) director National Rural Health Mission, Jharkhand, Aradhna Patnaik, said till date children were administered only one dose of measles vaccine on the nineth month as part of the routine immunization programme. "From now onwards, a second dose of measles will be given to all children of 16 months, along with the DPT booster dose. The present campaign aims at reaching out to children who did not get the second dose of vaccination," she said, adding that measles vaccine have been found to be more effective when given at 12 months or above age. 

Underlying the importance of measles vaccination state chief, Jharkhand Unicef, Job Zachariah, said measles is among the world's most contagious diseases and one of the leading causes of death among children worldwide. "Measles attributes to around 4 per cent of the total death of children in the age group of below five years and if we want to achieve the target of bringing infant mortality rate to 28 per 1000 live births by 2015, as per the millennium development goals, we must check deaths due to measles," he said. 

Calling upon media to create awareness about the campaign he said that it would be conducted in two phases "The first week of campaign will be in schools, excluding routine immunization days, and during the second and third week children in villages and community would be targeted," he said. 

                                                           

                                                           
Measles drive from Nov. 18

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Aradhana Patnaik at the workshop in
Ranchi on Friday.
Picture by Prashant Mitra

The state government, in association with Unicef, will begin its second phase of the anti-measles vaccination campaign from November 18.

Measles is one of the killer diseases for India’s children.

A daylong interactive workshop, jointly organised by the state health department, WHO-National Polio Surveillance Project, Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program and Unicef, was held in Ranchi on Friday to spread awareness on the life-threatening disease among mediapersons.

A campaign to administer vaccines in 19 districts across Jharkhand will cover 58.77 lakh children in the age group of nine months to 10 years. The three-week exercise will cover 10 districts of Bokaro, Dhanbad, Dumka, East Singhbhum, Godda, Hazaribagh, Pakur, Ranchi, Sahebganj and Simdega on November 18.

On December 2, the campaign will start in the rest of the nine districts — Chatra, Garhwa, Giridih, Koderma, Latehar, Palamau, Ramgarh, Seraikela and West Singhbhum .

The chief guest on the occasion, principal secretary of health and family welfare and medical education K. Vidyasagar, applauded the efforts of organisers. He added the media had an important role in combating this disease.

State project director of National Rural Health Mission Aradhana Patnaik said a team comprising 1,000 supervisors and 40,000 sahiyas will carry out the drive in its second phase. “Only trained health workers will administer vaccines. They will also ensure that all targeted children are vaccinated through random checks,” she said.

Job Zachariah, Unicef’s Jharkhand chief, said the contagious disease could be avoided by increasing the immunisation rate for measles and encouraging breastfeeding.

Praveen Chandra, director-in-chief of state health services, focused on cold chain to store vaccines.

The first phase of campaign was held on January 31 in Deoghar, Gumla, Jamtara, Lohardaga and Khunti.

Jharkhand to launch anti-measles campaign
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS – Thu, Nov 10, 2011

Ranchi, Nov 11 (IANS) A measles vaccination campaign covering 57 lakh children in 19 districts of Jharkhand is set to begin Nov 18, a statement said Thursday.

Being organised by the state government and Unicef, the drive will vaccinate children in the age group of 9 months to 10 years.

According to a Unicef statement, the first phase will cover 10 districts.

'An estimated 400 children die from measles every day in the world. Three out of four children who die from measles in 2008 were in India. In India, measles account for 4 percent child deaths below five years,' the statement added.