KOZHIKODE: Welcome changes are visible in the vaccination- resistant areas of Kozhikode after the outbreak of diphtheria. Health officials attribute this to the fear factor towards the air-borne disease, the intense campaign launched jointly by all the health wings, including Homoeo and Ayurveda, and religious organisations coming out in support of the vaccination.
“More parents are coming forward to take vaccination and many are concerned about the issue,” said district RCH (reproductive and child health) officer, Dr Sarala Nair. In Kozhikode, there are more than 6,000 non-immunised/partially immunised children under the age of five as on July 1. Areas such as Vanimel, Valayam, Nadapuram, Kuttiady, Koduvally, Punoor, Cheruvady and Thiruvallur are notorious for resistance.
“People are visiting health centres saying that they do not remember whether they had taken the vaccination in their childhood. Adults can take vaccine at any time provided they have not taken it in the past one month,” said Arun Kumar, a health inspector at Vadakara. The PTA meeting in many schools had discussed the issue in detail and resolved that all students should be vaccinated.
The open support of religious organisations such as Jamaat-e-Islami too has borne fruit. “The advocacy of religious organisations has convinced parents who hitherto were confused between the opinions of modern medicine and a few naturopaths,” said a Jammat leader.
The district health officials had chalked out an action programme consisting of forming diphtheria eradication committees in all local self- government institutions, convening PTA meetings in schools and collating ward-level data of non-immunised among others.
