KOZHIKODE: Doctors and health workers are gearing up to take diphtheria vaccination in the wake of the re-emergence of the disease in the state and two deaths. Physicians and other staff at Kozhikode and Thrissur medical college hospitals have taken the Td vaccine as the affected cases from Malappuram are treated there. At least 17 cases were reported in a month, of which ten are positive and nine from Malappuram.
“After the outbreak, this time, more than 50 staff, including professors, PG doctors, house surgeons, nurses and attenders, have taken the vaccine here. This excludes those who were vaccinated during the outbreak last year," said Dr Sheela Mathew, additional professor, infectious diseases unit, MCH, Kozhikode. Those who have taken the vaccine during their childhood are taking single dose and those who did not take three doses. “There was no vaccination at my childhood, and I have to take three doses in the twilight of my life,” said Dr Sheela.
Similarly, doctors at Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam medical colleges are gearing up for taking the vaccination as a precaution to the airborne disease. Kerala Government Medical Officers? Association (KGMOA) had given a memorandum to the government to initiate vaccination to all health workers who had exposed to diphtheria. “If the government delays vaccination, we will start our own to our members," said KGMOA president Dr Madhu V.
The situation points to a grave social threat posed by a minute section of anti-vaccination groups, a majority of them in Malappuram district which registers the lowest vaccination rate in the state with only 77 percent under-1 and 72 percent under-15. “Doctors taking the vaccination cannot be viewed as a panic situation. It is a precaution. The present day physicians did not deal with diphtheria as it was believed to be eradicated," noted G.R. Santhosh Kumar, National Health Mission (NHM) behaviour change communication (BCC) wing in-charge. As many as 1,32,000 children are unvaccinated/partially vaccinated in Malappuram and of this around 9,000 had been covered during the special drive.
