Rotavirus vaccination was rolled out in Tiruvannamalai district on Tuesday. The vaccination, which will be available as part of the routine immunisation schedule from Wednesday, will be administered to a total of 33,931 children.
According to R. Meera, Deputy Director of Health Services, Tiruvannamalai, the rotavirus vaccination, which is given in the form of drops, will be administered to children at the sixth, 10th and 14th week after birth. “They will receive the drops in three doses along with the pentavalent vaccination. Five drops will be administered for each dose,” she said.
The World Health Organisation had recommended that rotavirus vaccination should be made part of the national immunisation schedule in all countries to bring diarrhoea under control. Accordingly, the vaccination was being rolled out in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Tripura in September.
Starting Wednesday, 22,627 children in Tiruvannamalai health unit district and 11,304 children in Cheyyar health unit district will receive the vaccination in three doses under the national immunisation scheme. It will be available on every Wednesday at all primary health centres, government hospitals and government medical college hospitals, a press release said.
It is estimated that every year, 13% of deaths among children aged below five years was due to diarrhoea in India. Forty per cent of mild and acute diarrhoea cases among children aged below five years was due to rotavirus infection. Besides causing mortality, diarrhoea could also lead to nutritional deficiencies and affect the physical and mental growth of children. The vaccination does not have any side effects, the release said.
Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Sevur S. Ramachandran launched the vaccination at the health sub-centre at Vengikkal panchayat. Collector K.S. Kandasamy was present.
