Over 2,079 pregnant women, 6,784 children in the age group of zero to two, and 2,400 children in the age group of three to five in Mysuru district are to be immunised against seven vaccine-preventable diseases namely diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B under the Mission Indradhanush phase-4.
The Health Department, which has been engaged in conducting the survey since a few months, has identified 769 high-risk areas, including slums, and selected pregnant women and children for immunisation.
S. Gopinath, Reproductive Child Health officer, told The Hindu on Monday that Mission Indradhanush is an ambitious programme of the Centre that aimed to immunise all children and pregnant women in high risk areas.
The RCH officer stated that the immunisation drive would be carried out for four months starting May. Over 180 doctor and hundreds of health workers and assistants have been deployed to carry out immunisation all over the district.
Mr. Gopinath said that doctors and the health workers were already given comprehensive training. Apart from employees of the Health Department, staff of Women and Child Development Department, Education Department and NGOs are involved in the programme, he said.
As per the survey conducted by the Health Department, 87% of the targeted group (children and pregnant women) were covered under the immunisation programme for the above diseases and the department was confident of achieving 100% under the mission in the district, Dr. Gopinath said.
Seven districts of Karnataka are included in the fourth phase of the Indradhanush drive and they are Bengaluru rural and city, Mysuru, Tumkuru, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, and Belagavi, the officer said.
