Measles-Rubella vax drive extended till February 21

MP, 14 Feb 2023, KOLKATA: The state health department extended the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination drive till February 21, in four municipal corporations - Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) and areas under North and South 24-Parganas where the coverage has remained poor. 

The drive that began on January 9 was scheduled to end on February 13. The state coverage of the MR vaccination is above 90 per cent. However, it has been found that coverage is less than 80 per cent in some regions of the KMC, AMC, SMC and HMC and all urban areas of North and South 24-Parganas. 

A senior health department official said: “In urban areas, poor vaccination coverage is a matter of concern because the diverse and mobile nature of the urban population makes it prone to future outbreaks. 

So, additional effort must be undertaken to ensure that all eligible children in these urban areas are identified and administered vaccines.” As per the database of the state health department, till February 12, 63 per cent of the vaccination drive has been achieved in South 24-Parganas schools, 70 per cent has been achieved in Kolkata, 82 per cent in Howrah, and 78 per cent in Diamond Harbour. 

In Darjeeling, 51 per cent of the school target has been achieved. Thus, the district magistrate has been asked to take suitable measures to increase vaccination. Interestingly, the health districts of Nandigram, West Midnapore, East Midnapore, and Murshidabad, that rank on top of the MR drive, have outdone their urban counterparts.

The set target in West Bengal was over 2.31 crore out of which over 2.15 crore have been vaccinated already. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/measles-rubella-vax-drive-extended-till-february-21-508646