Dimapur, Oct. 31 (EMN): Nagaland has covered a total of 3,90,103 children in the ongoing measles and rubella vaccination campaign thereby achieving 87% as October 30.
As the campaign slowly draws to an end, having completed 3,126 schools and 1,913 outreach sessions all over Nagaland, sweeping/ mop-up activities are being actively conducted in all the districts, Dr. Atoshe Sema, state immunisation officer from the directorate of health & family welfare informed.
He has appealed to all parents not to consider vaccination as an individual choice but rather a requirement for the complete elimination of measles virus from the population. He added that the importance of MR vaccination certificate has increasingly becoming a necessity during school admissions to good schools since no school wants to risk being the source of an outbreak and wishes for students to lead a healthy and productive life.
He stated that MR vaccination campaign has been implemented by the Government of India with the objective to completely eradicate measles and control rubella disease. He stated that 100% coverage of the target children (9 months upto 15 years) in all 11 districts need to be completed, for which repeated activities are being tirelessly conducted by the department in all the schools, colonies/wards and villages.
He added that district hospitals, CHC, PHC and Sub-Centres in all the districts are kept opened so that everyone could visit the health facility for MR vaccination at their own convenient time if there are some children who missed vaccination at school and outreach sessions.
He has thanked the administrations, education, social welfare and police departments for their relentless support. He has also thanked all the wards/ colonies/ village chairmen, ASHA, AWW and all health workers who have been persistently mobilising and assisting in conducting sessions for the success of the campaign.
“Active participation and resourceful contribution by all in this monumental task will greatly aid the medical department in continuing activities to eliminate these deadly diseases and safeguard the health and well-being of our future generation,” Dr. Atoshe Sema added.
