Over 1 crore children administered MR vaccine
Despite the campaign having completed a month, awareness on when not to vaccinate a child seems to be lacking among many parents.
Chennai: With a week left for the Measles Rubella vaccination campaign to end, the state has administered the vaccine to over one crore children, with around 80 lakh more to go by March 14.
Despite the campaign having completed a month, awareness on when not to vaccinate a child seems to be lacking among many parents. Following rumours of the death of a child in Madurai after the Measles Rubella vaccine was administered recently, the public has begun questioning the efficacy of the vaccine again.
Health officials, rubbished the rumours that the child was vaccinated despite being down with fever, and claimed that it was a case of acute diarrhoeal disease, adding that children are not administered the vaccine when sick.
Regardless of the fact that health officials have been taking adequate steps to make the public aware of the importance of vaccination and factors surrounding it, some parents claim to be unaware of the fact that children with various viral infections cannot be administered the vaccine.
“I was initially skeptical about taking my child for vaccination due to various news reports I came across. Over time, I learnt from friends that it has no side effects and I got my child vaccinated. However, I had no idea that a child with fever cannot be vaccinated,” said Radha S, a mother of a two-year-old.
Stating that the child in Madurai, at the time of vaccination, may have had some viral or bacterial infection, which may not have manifested then, Dr Kolandaisamy, Director, department of public health, said, “Only two problems can be caused from the vaccine -anaphylaxis and toxic shock syndrome. One vial is administered on 10 children in 20 minutes. There is no question of the death being caused due to the vaccine. Also, the symptoms did not correlate to the rare side effects of an MR vaccine. It is purely coincidental.”
We do not administer the vaccine on an immuno-compromised child, a child with HIV AIDS, pneumonia, or respiratory infections. We also refrain from administering the vaccine on children who are hospitalised,” he said, adding that they would wait for a week after the child recovers before vaccinating him.