A month-long vaccination campaign starting April 1 hopes to cover 8 lakh infants, children and pregnant women. The campaign is part of a pan India programme to eliminate measles and control congenital rubella syndrome by 2020.
The health department of the Haryana government will start a month-long vaccination campaign in Gurgaon from April 1 to protect children and infants from measles and rubella. The vaccines will be administered to infants as young as nine months and children up to the age of 15.
This campaign, which hopes to benefit almost 8 lakh children, is significant for two reasons. First, this is the first time vaccines for measles will be administered to teenage children. In 2010, when Gurgaon had launched a measles vaccination campaign, only children up to the age of 10 were covered. Secondly, this is the first time Gurgaon will witness a vaccination campaign against rubella.
“We will conduct vaccination camps in all schools of Gurgaon. We will also organise small vaccination units near slum and industrial areas for those children who do not attend schools,” said Dr MP Singh, Endemic Ward, Civil Hospital, Gurgaon.
Rubella is often thought of as a disease deadlier than measles. It can even affect pregnant women. The child born from an affected woman can have a number of disabilities, such as hearing impairment or lack of eyesight. In the course of the campaign, pregnant women will also be made aware of the disease and administered the required vaccinations.
“We will also instal camps at private schools in Gurgaon to achieve 100 per cent vaccination for schoolchildren,” said Dr Ram Prakash, in-charge of the Epidemic department, Civil Hospital.
In Haryana, 90 lakh children will be given vaccination against rubella. This campaign is part of a pan-India programme to eliminate measles and control congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020.
