GB Nagar rolls out TD booster shots in schools

The drive is being conducted in phases, keeping in view the growing risk of diphtheria and seasonal conditions.

Gautam Budh Nagar has launched a school-based tetanus-diphtheria (TD) vaccination campaign between April 20 - 30 to protect children against serious infectious diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus, health officials said on Thursday.

Officials said the vaccine is completely safe and generally does not cause serious side effects. However, some children may experience mild fever or pain, for which medicines are made available on the spot by auxiliary nurse midwives. (HT Archive)

As per the district plan, children studying in Class 1 will receive the DPT second booster dose, while students in Classes 4 and 5 will be given the TD-10 vaccine. Students of Classes 10 and 11 will receive the TD-16 vaccine, officials said.

“The drive is being conducted in phases, keeping in view the growing risk of diphtheria and seasonal conditions. Vaccination sessions have been scheduled in schools on designated dates during the campaign period,” said district immunisation officer Dr R K Sirohain a statement.

Officials informed that health department teams are visiting schools to ensure the vaccination process is carried out smoothly.In a statement, deputydistrict immunisation officer Dr Ubaid Qureshi said, “The department aims to ensure that no eligible child is left out of the drive. He added that children who missed their earlier TD booster doses can also be vaccinated during the ongoing campaign.”

After vaccination, children are kept under observation for around 30 minutes as a precautionary measure, officials said.

“Awareness among parents has improved over the years, though some still do not consider vaccination necessary. In such cases, parents are counselled that the vaccine protects children not only from tetanus but also from serious diseases such as diphtheria, and is available free of cost,” added immunisation officer.