Kozhikode: MR vaccination drive kickstarts
Schools, anganwadis and outreach stations will also provide vaccination facilities.
KOZHIKODE: The month-long Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign has started on Tuesday. Karat Rasak, MLA, inaugurated the district-level drive at Government High School in Koduvally in Kozhikode. As many as 738,694 children in the age group of 9 month to 15 years in the district will be administered the dosage. The campaign would be carried out through 1,745 schools in the first two weeks and anganwadis, and other outreach stations besides the health centres. Large scale preparations have been made by the district medical office this time for the successful campaign.
Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts are notorious for Measles which shoulders with North India in terms of number of cases, according to Dr R. Sreenath, surveillance medical officer of WHO. "82 measles cases had been reported last year in Kozhikode including one death and an outbreak incident. 28 cases have been reported so far this year," he said. Regarding rubella, 12 to 15 cases of congential rubella syndrome cases have been reported this year at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital alone. The vaccination drive is being carried out jointly by Central and state governments under the guidance of World Health Organisation.
Dr V. Jayashree, District medical officer (DMO), Koduvally municipality chairperson Shareefa Kannadipoyil, district RCH officer Dr Sarala Nair, deputy director of education (DDE) E. K. Suresh Kumar, NRHM district programme manager Dr Bijoy E., KGMOA district president Jameel Shajar, IMA district president Dr Ajitha P. I., Dr P. Krishnakumar (IAP), municipal health standing committee chairperson V. C. Noorjahan among others spoke on the occasion.