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Measles and rubella in particular need to be curtailed
New Delhi, January 14, 2019 : Delhi will witness the roll out of its largest immunization drives offering 55 lakh children in the age group of 9 months to less than 15 years measles-rubella (MR) vaccination additional cover. Starting on 16 January 2019, the five-week MR campaign aims to offer vaccination to children in the 11 districts of Delhi covering all pre-school children, school students (government and private) and out-of-school children.
Children will be provided with an additional dose of MR vaccine regardless of previous vaccination status or history of measles/rubella-like illness. The campaign will include orientation for officers/principals, teachers and students by experts from the Health Department. The MR campaign will be conducted within a period of 3-4 weeks.
Speaking about this Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Measles is serious and highly contagious and lead to debilitating or fatal complications. Some of them include encephalitis (an infection that leads to swelling of the brain), severe diarrhea and dehydration, pneumonia, ear infections and permanent vision loss. Babies and young children with malnutrition and weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable to complications and death. Unlike measles, rubella is a mild viral infection that mainly occurs in children. A woman who is infected with the rubella virus during the early stage of pregnancy has a 90% chance of transmitting it to the fetus. Some issues that the virus can cause include hearing impairments, eye and heart defects and brain damage in newborns. It can also lead to spontaneous abortion and fetal deaths.
The number of reported measles cases spiked in 2017, as multiple countries experienced severe and protracted outbreaks of the disease. This is according to a new report published by leading health organizations.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Group Editor-in-Chief of IJCP, said, “There is still reluctance, opposition, and slow acceptance of vaccination apart from other operational challenges. The challenges faced in delivering lifesaving vaccines need to be addressed from the existing knowledge and lessons must be learnt from past experiences.”
The Vaccination Schedule under the UIP is as follows.
- BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) 1 dose at Birth (upto 1 year if not given earlier).
- DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus Toxoid) 5 doses; Three primary doses at 6weeks,10weeks and 14 weeks and two booster doses at 16-24 months and 5 Years of age.
- OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) 5 doses; 0 dose at birth, three primary doses at 6,10 and 14 weeks and one booster dose at 16-24 months of age.
- Hepatitis B vaccine 4 doses; 0 dose within 24 hours of birth and three doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.
- Measles 2 doses; first dose at 9-12 months and second dose at 16-24months of age.
- TT (Tetanus Toxoid) 2 doses at 10 years and 16 years of age
- TT – for pregnant woman two doses or one dose if previously vaccinated within 3 Year
In addition, Japanese Encephalitis (JE vaccine) vaccine was introduced in 112 endemic districts in campaign mode in phased manner from 2006-10 and has now been incorporated under the Routine Immunisation Programme.
