Four days after rumours spread about vaccination drive causing infertility among the students in Nuh, the district administration on Tuesday decided to suspend the drive for at least a week and hold meetings in mosques and schools to clear the air.
Meet with leaders
Holding a meeting with the officials concerned and prominent Muslim religious leaders of the region at district secretariat here, Deputy Commissioner Mani Ram Sharma directed the Chief Medical Officer to suspend the drive for at least a week as parents were not even allowing their children to attend schools. He further directed the CMO to constitute a team of senior doctors and visit at least 10 mosques every day to clear the air.
Mr. Sharma said that he along with Additional Deputy Commissioner Naresh Narwal and other senior officers would visit 10 schools on Wednesday to scotch the rumours.
Parents panic
Panic had gripped certain parts of Nuh district on March 3 after a video went viral on social media warning parents against the vaccination drive of the government alleging that it was a conspiracy to cause infertility. Following the rumours, which originiated at Path Khori village and spread like wild fire to schools in Nagina and Punhana areas of the district, the parents rushed to schools to bring their wards back.
Mr. Sharma had then expressed suspicion that the rumours could be an attempt by the quacks in the region to derail the government programme.
However, the district administration failed to win back the confidence of the parents and the students continued to stay away from schools.
Meanwhile, two teachers were beaten up and a vaccination team attacked in different parts of the region following the rumours.
