Delhi: 0.9 million children get MR jabs, drive extended by two weeks

Data from the Delhi government shows that till March 4, a total of 993,332 eligible children were administered the MR vaccine. This is nearly 90% of the eligible 1,110,000 children from the target group

A month since the Delhi government started the measles-rubella vaccine campaign for children aged nine months to five years, over 89% children have been administered the doses, senior officials from the health department said on Saturday. Officials added that to ensure all eligible children are covered under the campaign, the department has decided to extend the drive by two weeks.

Officials added that to ensure all eligible children are covered under the campaign, the department has decided to extend the drive by two weeks. (ANI)

Data from the Delhi government shows that till March 4, a total of 993,332 eligible children were administered the MR vaccine. This is nearly 90% of the eligible 1,110,000 children from the target group.

“We have been aggressively reaching out to parents and guardians of eligible children, creating awareness about how these vaccines are useful in preventing measles and rubella. Over the last month, our teams have been setting up camps and conducting outreach sessions,” a senior official of the Delhi government’s health and family welfare department said.

The official said that looking at the high turnout for the MR vaccine drive, the department has decided that even though the campaign was to officially culminate on March 6, sweeping sessions will be conducted for another two weeks in all 11 districts of Delhi.

“In the last leg of the campaign, we have decided to conduct sweeping sessions for two weeks to cover left out beneficiaries,” the official said.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease, which causes fever and a rash in children and can also lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, pneumonia and deaths among young children.

Rubella is also a contagious viral infection recognised by its distinctive red rash. The disease can spread through direct contact with the saliva or mucus of an infected person or through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.

Delhi’s MR vaccination campaign was earlier roped into a legal battle in 2019, after a petition was filed in the Delhi high court against the administration not seeking consent from guardians before administering the vaccines. Even as the government suggested the “opt-out” option, where parents could choose to decide whether they want their wards to be vaccinated, the drive could not be resumed.

Health experts in the city encouraged parents to administer the additional booster dose of MR vaccine to their children.

“Irrespective of a child’s vaccine history, parents and caregivers must take their children to the nearest centre to administer an additional dose of the MR vaccine, so that we are able to eliminate the disease from Delhi by 2023 and also keep our children safe,” said Dr Alok Bhandari, national joint secretary, Indian Academy of Pediatrics.