Lukewarm response to MR immunisation campaign

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 22

The immunisation officials in Dehradun are facing silent boycott of the Measles Rubella (MR) national immunisation campaign underway in several madrasas in the Muslim-dominated areas of Dehradun district from October 30.

The immunisation officials had to contend with low turn-out, in the range of 25 per cent to 40 per cent of schoolchildren at several madrasas of Raipur, Doiwala, Sahaspur and Vikasnagar in Dehradun district.

On the assigned date of the immunisation recently, medical officials were even confronted with locked doors of madrasa located at Budhi village in Sahaspur, indicating stiff resistance to the campaign.

“As we reached the madrasa on the day fixed for immunisation nobody was in sight as the doors of the madrasa remained shut for several hours,” said Dr CS Chauhan, district immunisation officer.

The MR national immunisation drive is currently underway in several places in Uttarakhand during which private schools and madrasas have been picked up for giving shots to children in the age group of nine months to less than 15 years.

“There is a misinformation campaign that the immunisation programme will lead to impotency and that the drive is underway only in the Muslim-dominated educational institutions,” said N S Bindra, chairman of Minorities Commission (Uttarakhand).

Further, morphed images of children taking ill after vaccination too have surfaced on social media as a result of which parents residing in the minority-dominated areas are hesitant to take their children for vaccinations. “There is a perceptible reluctance among parents residing in the minority dominated areas, who are hesitant to take their children for vaccinations,” said, R A Khan, vice chairman, Madrasa Board.

However, low turnout and misinformation have led the authorities to take note. “I have held a meeting with the members of minority communities and ensured they participate in a talk so that their fears are allayed,” said Bindra who also roped in senior paedetrician Dr Geeta Khanna to hold a talk.

Significantly, the members of the minority community are blaming poor dissemination of information prior to the launch of the campaign as the main reason for the disinformation taking roots in the minds of the people in the Muslim-dominated areas.

As a result, the world health officials have suggested spreading the word through Masjids on Fridays in favour of the immunisation.

Members blame poor information dissemination

• The immunisation officials had to contend with low turn-out, in the range of 25 per cent to 40 per cent of schoolchildren at several madrasas of Raipur, Doiwala, Sahaspur and Vikasnagar in Dehradun district. 
• The members of the minority community are blaming poor dissemination of information prior to the launch of the campaign as the main reason for the disinformation taking roots in the minds of the people in the Muslim-dominated areas.
• As a result, the world health officials have suggested spreading the word through masjids on Fridays in favour of the immunisation.