THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With only two days left for the measles-rubella vaccine drive to come to an end in the state, the capital city is heading towards cent percent goal with 90 percent of the children already covered till Wednesday.
Stating the district would achieve the target within the specified time period, District Collector K Vasuki said as many as 5.7 lakh children of the 6.3 lakh targeted group were given vaccination till now. Meanwhile, District Medical Officer Dr Preetha P P said they hoped to cross the 95 percent mark in the coming two days.
Noting that the anti-vaccine campaign spread through the social media has led to resistance from certain religious groups, Vasuki called upon religious leaders to come forward and campaign intensively in the last minutes to achieve the target. Meanwhile, the Collector, as well as the DMO, visited the schools that achieved 100 percent and gave away commemorative prizes.
The drive that started on October 3 was to be completed on November 3. However, the date was extended to November 18 and then to November 25 across the state so as to achieve 100 percent target.
Unlike the northern districts, the capital district did not face much resistance from the parents. Preetha said the health workers are still working round the clock to see that all the children are given vaccination.
A few children in some pockets in Beemapally, Poonthura, Varkala, Vellanad and Balaramapuram are yet to come under the drive, she said and added all the programme officers are in the field and trying their maximum to bring all the children under the drive.The MR drive given to children between nine months and 15 years is part of the nation-wide campaign. It is aimed at eliminating measles and controlling rubella by 2020.
Strength in numbers
The Kerala Health Department set up vaccination camps in government and private schools, public health centres, CHCs, anganwadis and also in some private hospitals
While Thiruvananthapuram aims to achieve a ‘perfect 100’ by November 25, Kozhikode which resisted the vaccine from the start has managed to only cover 75 per cent of the targeted children according to latest figures