Week left, MR vaccination drive yet to cover 27.5% kids

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, June 12

Even after the five weeks of launch of the Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign, the state is far behind the target as 27.5 per cent children are still not vaccinated. 

As per the latest statistics by the medical authorities, the vaccination rate of Punjab was 74.5 per cent when the fifth week of the vaccination concluded on June 6.

The MR vaccine is administered to the children of the age group of nine months to 15 years. There are 73 lakh children of the target age group in the state, but only about 55 lakh have been vaccinated so far. 

Being unable to achieve the target, the Health Department is planning to extend the date. The drive will complete six weeks on June 15. However, department officials said the drive was slowly catching up with the populace.

Despite the Health Minster releasing repeated statements regarding the vaccines being safe, the department is having a tough time convincing parents to get their children vaccinated.

Sources said rumours and negative publicity regarding the MR (measles-rubella) vaccination drive had a debilitating impact on the campaign.

Interestingly, couple of districts have performed exceptionally well, and completed the target a week before the deadline. Roopnagar and Pathankot have crossed the 97 per cent mark. Moga is on the bottom of the chart with just 60.9 vaccinations.

State Immunisation Officer GB Singh said: “Efforts to meet the target will continue despite resistance from some sections of society.”