The Puducherry municipality on Tuesday launched the second phase of immunisation of conservancy workers to protect them from deadly diseases including Hepatitis B.
A senior municipal official said that a majority of the workers were women who manually load garbage at landfill sites and drains. They are also exposed to hazardous waste and more prone to deadly diseases including Hepatitis B.
The municipality has tied up with Department of Public Health and Dentistry of Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences (IGIDS) to conduct medical check ups and provide vaccination to workers. The first phase of the immunisation campaign was launched on April 7.
Over 100 conservancy workers from the Puducherry Municipality were provided with injectable doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine by a team from the Department of Public Health and Dentistry of IGIDS at Kamban Kalai Arangam. Each dose costs Rs.250.
All the workers will receive the third doses of the vaccine in October.