2.6 lakh kids on Mission Indradhanush radar in MP
The Mission Indradhanush, a Central government scheme that promises immunisation to all children by 2020, will cover nearly 2.6 lakh unvaccinated children in 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh, National Health Mission director said on Monday.
The Mission Indradhanush, a Central government scheme that promises immunisation to all children by 2020, will cover nearly 2.6 lakh unvaccinated children in 15 districts of Madhya Pradesh, National Health Mission director said on Monday.
There are over six lakh unvaccinated children in Madhya Pradesh, according to health officials.
The campaign, which will be held in four rounds from April 7, will reach out to partially immunised or unimmunised children in the state, said National Health Mission director Faiz Ahmad Kidwai.
He was speaking at a media workshop organised by the health department with support from UNICEF and World Health Organisation.
The mission, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, targets to immunise all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases — diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, childhood tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis B and measles.
Under the mission, the Centre intends to cover 201 high-focus districts, including 15 from Madhya Pradesh, in the first phase of 2015.
"Though immunisation coverage is around 67% in Madhya Pradesh, it is between 50 to 60% in these 15 districts," he said.
The fifteen high-focus districts of Madhya Pradesh include Alirajpur, Anuppur, Chhattarpur, Damoh, Jhabua, Mandla, Panna, Raisen, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Shahdol, Tikamgarh, Umaria and Vidisha.
Kidwai said efforts would be made to achieve 90% immunisation coverage in the state.
Principal secretary of health Pravir Krishn said immunisation was the right of every child.
Krishn said two major reasons for parents not bringing their children for immunisation were lack of awareness and fear of adverse effects following immunisation. He sought media support in these two areas.
Vandana Bhatia, the health specialist at UNICEF in Madhya Pradesh, said, "Right vaccine, at the right age, right dose, safe vaccine, for every child is right which we as stakeholders need to ensure."
Santosh Shukla, the deputy director immunisation of the state, said the campaign would reach out to those who can’t reach them.
OP Tiwari, the Madhya Pradesh regional team leader for WHO, spoke on the training and technical support to the campaign in the state.
