The Measles-Rubella vaccine is safe and may have mild side effects such as fever and swelling, but children rarely develop serious allergic problems after being administered it, health officials in Mysuru say. However, the district health office as a precautionary measure has decided to supply Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) kits to teams formed to administer the vaccine.
Basavaraj, District Health Officer, and S. Gopinath, RCH officer, have appealed to parents not to panic if their children develop a slight fever or swelling after being administered the vaccine during the three-week vaccine campaign in Mysuru, to be held from February 7 to March 1. Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, the doctors said measures have been taken to provide immediate treatment if a child develops an allergic reaction.
Besides the kits, the two medical hospitals in the city and members of the Mysuru chapter of the Indian Academy of Paediatricians (IAP) have agreed to cooperate with the department in treating children developing allergic problems after being vaccinated, they said.
Dr. Gopinath said the health office has received over 4.5 lakh doses of vaccines, syringes and reconstitution solutions. The remaining 3.5 lakh doses are expected to arrive by February 5, he added.
The target
The district health office is planning to administer vaccines to 7,95,788 children, and 628 teams have been formed to carry out the task, Mr. Gopinath said. Each team has a vaccinator, data entry operator, marker and a school teacher who will be the facilitator. Vaccination will be done in all the 3,078 schools, Mr. Gopinath said, adding that a few private schools were reluctant to take part in the programme. The Deputy Commissioner has already issued a circular to all private schools to compulsorily take part in the programme.
Children in outreach stations will also be given the vaccines, the RCH officer said, adding that many other departments such as Women and Child Development and Education have been roped in to ensure the success of the programme.
Measles is a highly infectious, potentially fatal disease that mostly affects children, Mr. Basavaraj said, while Rubella is a mild viral infection affecting both children and adults.
