Health Department officials have been asked to continue the measles-rubella vaccination campaign in the district till they achieve at least 95% coverage even as the extended deadline ends on December 1.
The campaign started on October 3 and it was to culminate on November 3. It was, however, extended thrice in the district, first till November 18, then till November 25 and later till December 1 as the target could not be achieved.
Sarala Nair, District Reproductive Child Health Officer, told The Hindu on Thursday that they had been directed to carry on with the activities till the target was achieved.
“Of the targeted 7,21,516 children, 5,66,239 had been covered till November 29 and the percentage of coverage is 78.48,” Health officials said. The blocks lagging behind are Cheruppa, Olavanna, Thiruvallur, Cheruvannur, Vadakara, Kuttiyadi and Valayam. Kozhikode is just ahead of Malappuram, where only 64.35% of the targeted children had been covered till Wednesday.
Ms. Nair said that people’s conventions involving elected representatives were being held in various places. “We just had meetings in Vadakara and Kuttiyadi where an action plan has been formed to take forward the campaign. Some areas under the Kozhikode City Corporation too are being covered. The focus will continue to be on community mobilisation,” she said.
The official pointed out that there had been a marked change in the attitude of the Education Department officials who were now fully cooperating with them. The resistance from parents too were on the decline.
District Collector U.V. Jose had directed school authorities to prepare a list of students who had yet not been vaccinated.
