KOZHIKODE: To counter the anti-Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign, the Health Department will organise special grama sabhas in the district. District Medical Officer V. Jayasree told The Hindu that ward-level meetings would be conducted in view of reluctance on the part of a section of people to get their children vaccinated. “We will get influential people to address the meetings,” the DMO said.
The MR vaccination drive, which started on October 3, in accordance with the World Health Organisation guidelines to eradicate the diseases, has fallen short of target in the district, thanks to resistance from a large section of people. The strongest resistance has been evident in regions like Valayam, Cherooppa, and Perambra, where only 25% to 35% children have been vaccinated.
There are even instances where school authorities refuse to make arrangements for the conduct of the vaccination drive. “We have sensitised the nodal teachers of each school. But in many places, teachers refuse to help health workers who administer the vaccine. They behave as if it is not their job,” Dr. Jayasree said, adding that volunteers had to fetch children from their classes in some schools where teachers refused to do so. “In several rural schools, students go on mass leave on the day of vaccination, and the school authorities defend them,” the DMO said. Meanwhile, some schools have asked students to produce consent letters from their parents if they want to get vaccinated. “There is no need for parents’ consent. They just have to be informed,” Dr. Jayasree added.
Meanwhile, the District Collector has sought the support of the Education Department for vaccination drive. In case of further resistance, the Collector will take direct action. A meeting of head masters is scheduled for October 19. A district-level committee has been formed with doctors, health workers, and representatives of the education department as its members, to monitor the drive. They will collect daily reports from schools and evaluate them every Thursday. The Collector will discuss the reports with Assistant Education Officers on Fridays.
MR vaccine is administered to children of the age group of nine months to 15 years. There are 7,38,694 children of the target age group in Kozhikode district. Around 2 lakh students in the district have so far been vaccinated. The drive will go on for another two weeks.