JORHAT, Aug 11 - The Health Department in Jorhat and Majuli districts along with the rest of the State are gearing up to launch the month-long Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign among the children from August 17.
The vaccination campaign will be carried out in the age group of nine months to 15 years.
Addressing mediaperson at the Jorhat Press Club today, Joint Director of Health Services (Jorhat and Majuli) Dr Amrit Saikia informed that the vaccine against both the diseases will be administered to children through a single shot injection.
He said that the Health Department under its ongoing immunisation programme has been carrying out vaccination against only Measles to nine month old infants.
Dr Saikia said that an action plan has been prepared to carry out the vaccination drive under which around three lakh children in both the districts are estimated to be vaccinated.
The Joint Director of Health Services said that 1,014 schools will be covered during the drive. He said in the first phase only schools will be covered, while in the second phase the vaccination will be given at anganwadi centres, PHCs and health sub-centres of the districts.
Stating that training has been imparted to all the personnel who will be involved in executing the campaign, Dr Saikia said that 377 health workers, 1,204 ASHA workers and 2,400 anganwadi workers have undergone training.
He said that the headmasters of all the schools to be covered under the programme along with one teacher of each school have been imparted training to assist as nodal officers for smooth implementation of the drive.
District Immunisation Officer Dr Manjula Hazarika, who was also present on the occasion, said measures will be in place to attend to any case of AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunisation) after vaccination.
Dr Girvar S Baria, WHO representative who will be supervising the campaign and head of the Rapid Response Team, gave a detailed power-point presentation on the need for immunisation and about diseases that affect children who are not immunised.
