CHENNAI: With diphtheria cases being reported across the State, the Directorate of Public Health has warned private schools, which don’t cooperate in the immunisation drive, that their Sanitation licence may be cancelled. In Chennai alone, six suspected and one confirmed cases are undergoing treatment at the Institute of Child Health, Egmore.
According to the Public Health department officials, even adult diphtheria cases are being reported in the State, which is a cause of worry. “As on date, around 16 confirmed diphtheria cases are undergoing treatment at the hospitals. Cases are being reported in Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai. In Chennai, there is one confirmed case at the Institute of Child Health, Egmore,” an official source said.
Speaking to Express, Dr K Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health, said,”We are facing difficulty in convincing the management of private schools and also the parents. They question why grown-up children should be vaccinated. This attitude of the current generation could be because they would have not seen diphtheria cases in their lives. Vaccine is very important for vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The official source said, “We have been warning schools that don’t cooperate, that we will cancel their sanitation license. In such cases, the schools are asking for two or three days’ time, so that they can hold a meeting with the parents and convince them. In some cases, we even have to take the police along and force them to allow us to immunise the children.”
“Vaccine is important because the diphtheria vaccine will give immunity only for five years. After five years, it will wane. If the children aged 5 years are vaccinated, they will have immunity only for five years and should be given the vaccine again in their 10th year. The parents think, since the children are given the vaccine at 10, 14 and 16 months of age, it is not necessary to give boosters again,” the official source added.
“Parents should not neglect the vaccine. We have also passed strict instructions that all schools must follow the compulsory National Immunisation schedule. We are seeing cases in all the age groups. Clinically suspected and also laboratory-confirmed cases are being treated at the hospitals,” said Dr Kolandaswamy.