Meghalaya | Over 1.4 lakh children vaccinated for Measles-Rubella till October 1
From Our Correspondent | SHILLONG, October 3, 2018
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- The Meghalaya government had officially launched the Measles-Rubella Campaign on Monday.
- Over 1 lakh children in the state were vaccinated for the diseases till October 1.
The Measles-Rubella Campaign has received a positive response with over 1 lakh children being vaccinated for the diseases till October 1.
"As of October 1, a total number of 1,40,577 children have been vaccinated," Secretary of Health and Family Welfare department, Pravin Bakshi informed here on Tuesday.
It may be mentioned that the government had officially launched the Measles-Rubella Campaign on Monday.
"Despite the campaign having been officially launched yesterday, there were five districts who have done a soft launch of the campaign on September 24," Bakshi said.
He further lauded the efforts of the Deputy Commissioners and District Medical and Health Officers and the cooperation of the school authorities and various social organisations which has led to massive response to the campaign in the state.
Interestingly, two of the Deputy Commissioners came forward to get their children vaccinated on the day when the campaign was launched. The Meghalaya Government had a vaccination target of around 13 lakh children between the age of 9 months and 15 years while nationally the figure stands at about 41 crores .
As per the official figure, the total number of children vaccinated so far is around 11 crore throughout the country.
It may be mentioned that East Jaintia Hills clocked the most impressive coverage figures of 41% immunization which was closely followed by West Jaintia Hills with 37% and West Khasi Hills 22 %.
When asked on the steps to dispel the rumours surrounding the vaccination, Bakshi said that they had made an impassioned appeal to parents and teachers not to believe in rumours or even circulate misinformation.
It may be mentioned that Indian Association of Paediatrics, World Health Organization and UNICEF have certified that the vaccines are completely safe.
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