Medical teams face stiff resistance in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: As many as 20,880 children under the age of five are out of the vaccination drive in the four districts of Malabar—Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod.  They include  those who took the vaccine partially and those who have not  taken it even  once. In Kozhikode,  more than 16,000 children are out of coverage. The  resistance is in Kuttiady, Vanimel, Nadapuram, Koduvally and  Punoor areas having sizeable number of Muslim population.

“The medical team which  visited the households to persuade them for vaccination was shabbily treated,” says National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) district programme manager,  Dr A. Baburaj.   The people are not swayed by the successful eradication of diseases like small pox and polyomyletis. 

Gullible parents fell prey to the secret campaigns which said that  vaccination was  a conspiracy to curb the Muslim population and that US corporate were  involved in it. According to Kannur District RCH (rproductive and child health) officer, Dr P.M.  Jyothi, close to 3,000 children did not take vaccine in the district.

Valapattanam, Mayyil, Narath and  Puzhathi areas are notorious for opposing   vaccination. “When we approach the houses, the women will say that they were being told by their husbands in the Gulf countries that children should not be vaccinated,” said a health worker in Mayyil.

In Wayanad, around 1200 children are not vaccinated. They include  70 kids who did not take it even once. “The partially vaccinated meant the child has taken BCG vaccine at the time of birth in the hospital,” says district RCH officer, Dr  V. Jithesh. Kamabalakkad, Vellamunda, Peechamkode and  Rippon areas show opposition to vaccination.   In Kasargod, 680 children are out of the vaccination drive.  There is resistance in Kasargod town, Mogral Puthur and  Chengala grama panchayats regions.

Anti-vaccination groups are leading a concerted campaign in all these districts with the use of social media. Besides religious tone, naturopaths and a few homoeo doctors too are part of this. The group has published a compilation of exaggerated reports of ‘deaths due to vaccination’  which are  circulated in the interior areas.