Rubella – A Common Disease That Occurred Primarily Among Young Children
Health News: After a gap of four years, Delhi has finally started the Measles-Rubella vaccination campaign. For the uninitiated, the vaccination drive was halted four years ago because parents complained that their consent was not taken before vaccinating children. This led to a court case and the vaccination drive was stopped immediately.
With the rise in cases of measles in some states of India, including the national capital, the health department has started a month-long campaign. As part of the campaign, children in the age group of six months and five years will be vaccinated. All the children in this age group will be vaccinated irrespective of their vaccination status.
As part of the current drive, the Delhi government is targeting one-fifth of the 5.5 lakh children. These 5.5 lakh children were in the age group of six months and 15 years and were supposed to get vaccinated in 2019 during a school-based drive.
However, the Delhi government is not vaccinating children in schools. The government has decided to vaccinate eligible children only through its hospitals and dispensaries. The decision has been taken to avoid the issue of informed consent.
Measles-Rubella Vaccination will be Available at the Hospitals or Dispensaries
“The vaccine will be made available only in hospitals and dispensaries. No one will be vaccinated in school. So, there will be no need of consent. Those who turn up will be assumed to have given consent. Also, kids will be vaccinated only if they will be accompanied by their parents or guardians,” a senior government official was quoted as saying by a news website.
This time, the government has decided to limit the campaign to only those below the age of five years. According to officials, it is impossible to vaccinate older children outside of school. “Those under the age of five years anyway come to these centres for regular immunisation.”
Not only at hospitals and dispensaries, but the vaccination program will also be conducted through anganwadi centres and resident welfare organizations.
