Bengaluru: It is not just Chamarajanagar district and Bhatkal, where parents of a particular community have refused to get their children vaccinated for Measles and Rubella over the last few days. But even in Bengaluru, many parents have refused to get their children vaccinated, fearing health consequences, sources told Deccan Chronicle.
At least in two areas, state government agencies were forced to use the services of local priests and Wakf Board to convince the opposing parents.
Sources said that health activists and officials faced stiff resistance from the parents of a particular community in Devanahalli and K.G. Halli. “We used the services of local priests to convince the parents. But the protests continued and we are now using a letter issued by the Wakf Board to ensure that all the children are vaccinated,” said an officer.
“First, it was in Chamarajanagar district and we immediately used the social media to create awareness. We made mothers from the same community talk about the importance of the vaccination. As this did not help, we used other tactics," he said.
Mr D. Shashikumar, general secretary, KAMS, said that in many schools affiliated to his organisation, children did not opt for the vaccination because of the stigma associated with it. “What we want is awareness of each family through priests and religious leaders,” he said.
Tuesday is the last day
According to officials in the state health and education department, the MR vaccination drive will conclude across the state on Tuesday. “In Bengaluru, because of various reasons including noncooperation by schools, we are lagging behind. We have decided to approach all the paediatricians to reach the vaccination goal,” said an officer.
