BHUBANESWAR: High vaccination coverage notwithstanding, the Odisha government has decided to intensify the measles and rubella (MR) immunisation drive from September in a bid to eliminate the diseases by December this year. The MR vaccination will be taken up in a mission mode between September and November with a target to achieve 95 per cent coverage in every district. At least three rounds of intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 5.0 drive have been planned in the state.
After polio, measles and rubella are the only diseases transmitted by humans and are only found in humans. While measles is a highly infectious viral illness that turns fatal if not treated on time, rubella, also known as German measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus.
In order to achieve MR elimination within the timeline, districts have been categorised as high, medium and low priority based on the composite index. Further, 94 blocks across the state have been categorised as high-priority blocks, where close monitoring and regular review will be conducted. Ten districts - Balangir, Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Ganjam, Khurda, Koraput, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh have been selected as high priority as the fully immunised child (FIC) coverage is less than 90 per cent and the measles incidence rate is less than or equal to five.
Seven districts, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Malkangiri, Puri, Sonepur, Angul and Deogarh have been categorised as low priority and the rest 13 as medium priority. The state government, for the first time, will use a new digital platform U-WIN for real-time tracking of the vaccination status of children up to five years of age and pregnant women. The initiative has been successfully piloted and rolled out in Ganjam and Koraput districts since April.
After the pilot phase, U-WIN has been scaled up to the rest 28 districts and real-time reporting of vaccination events of each beneficiary by the ANMs will be ensured in the digital platform by the end of August. Health Secretary Shalini Pandit has directed all districts and municipal commissioners to intensify the MR vaccination campaign with multi-sectoral coordination and participation of the Indian Medical Association, Indian Academy of Paediatrics, Rotary, Lions and Panchayati Raj department.
“Health officials have been asked to put in place a well-planned immunisation strategy in both urban and rural areas and utilise the opportunity of IMI 5.0 drive for vaccinating all missed children till five years of age to ensure no child is left unvaccinated. Collectors will review regularly at the district level to ensure each district achieves the elimination target,” she said.