KOZHIKODE: The Malappuram district health authorities will organise a mass vaccination drive from October 1 to 10 to contain the spread of diphtheria in the district.
About 23,000 children below the age of 5 and those up to the age of 15 will be vaccinated during the special drive.
The district panchayat is collecting the details of children below 15 years of age. The district health office will procure the vaccine, Malappuram district medical officer, Ummer Farook, told Deccan Chronicle.
He said all inmates of two boys’ hostels in Vettathur in Malappuram, where the diphtheria cases were reported after several decades, have been given preventive vaccine.
“We are isolating the suspected cases as the disease spreads through air. All the boys in these hostels have been given preventive vaccine and all the children below 15 years in Malappuram will be vaccinated during our special drive,” he added.
Meanwhile, one more child whose blood culture confirmed diphtheria is undergoing treatment at the Institute of Maternity and Child Health at Kozhikode Medical College.
“The child is being administered the anti-diphtheretic serum. However, his heart has already been infected and the serum has not improved his condition. We cannot say anything about this patient at the moment,” IMCH superintendent Dr. Mohan Kumar told DC.
The serum has to be administered immediately to patients who are suspected to have diphtheria.
“The serum is in short supply. We had got only two vials which were given to the two confirmed cases. One boy died on Thursday. The serum is sourced from a pharma company in Delhi where they do not have any more stock. Now we have approached another company in Mumbai, which has the stock,” he said.
Nurses and doctors treating the patients have been given preventive vaccine. Dr. Ummer Farook said the situation was under control as all measures had been taken against the spread of the disease.
The Indian Medical Association criticised the propaganda against vaccination and demanded that the WHO should intervene immediately in the matter and conduct awareness camps.
“The government should act against those who supply unscientific, unknown substances as preventive medicine to people and bring to book those who spread false messages regarding vaccination,” Dr. Ajith Bhaskar, district president of IMA, said in a statement here.
