Maharashtra economic survey: Covid-19 hits immunisation program for children, pregnant women

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the regular immunization program such as pulse polio for infants and universal immunization programme being implemented to prevent mortality, morbidity and disability among pregnant women, children and infants from various diseases

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the regular immunization program such as pulse polio for infants and universal immunization programme being implemented to prevent mortality, morbidity and disability among pregnant women, children and infants from various diseases. Not even half of the pregnant women, children and infants could be covered under both the immunization programs till December 2020, revealed the economic survey of Maharashtra report for 2020-21.

This financial year till December 4.332 million children were given polio dose.

Children below five years of age irrespective of earlier receipt of several doses of oral polio vaccine are immunised on National Immunisation Day every year. This financial year till December 4.332 million children was covered under the program against 16.928 million covered in 2019-20 and 17.094 million covered in 2018-19, states the report presented by the deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in the state Assembly on Friday.

The government has succeeded in controlling the spread of the poliovirus, as no polio case was reported.

To prevent mortality, morbidity and disability from diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, Haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, measles, etc., the state government also implement the Centre’s universal immunisation programme that aims to provide immunisation services to pregnant women, infants and children in various age groups.

The survey report found that the number of beneficiaries are too low when it comes to Tetanus, DPT (A class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans — diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) and Hepatitis B vaccination among the targeted population.

Tetanus vaccination to children below 10 years of age, the state could cover only 0.76 million beneficiaries against the target of 2.608 million beneficiaries and for the age group up to 16 years it could cover 0.72 million against the target of 2.359 million beneficiaries. Only 0.857 million beneficiaries could be covered against a target of 1.932 million beneficiaries for Hepatitis B vaccination and DPT vaccination 0.94 million beneficiaries were covered against the target of 1.896 million beneficiaries, states the report.