ITANAGAR: Over 8000 children in remote Kurung Kumey district of Arunachal Pradesh are unlikely to be covered under the measles catch-up campaign, a flagship programme of the Centre to eradicate highly infectious diseases, due to lack of infrastructure.
With hardly 22 km road per 100 sq km against the average of 52 km in northeast and national average of 73 km and still many villages beyond reach for want of connectivity, the district may fail in achieving the target of the ongoing MCC, which is likely to be launched in the district from March 6, official sources said here on Thursday.
Living atop hills, slopes and inaccessible areas of Damin, Tali, Pipsorang circles and Milli and Polosang villages of Sarli circle, the children would be deprived and the mission unaccomplished unless helicopters are pressed into service to transport the medical team to the far-flung locations, they said. Highlighting the communication problem, Damin primary health center medical officer said, “It would be impossible to conduct MCC in Damin, Tali, Pipsorang circles and Milli and Polosang villages of Sarli circle unless the medical teams are provided with airlifting facility as the vaccines have to be kept in cold temperature, which is not possible in these far-flung areas without roads and electricity.”
“Both backward districts of Kurung Kumey and East Kameng are yet to complete the campaign while the rest 13 districts have completed it,” health and family welfare director, Karthik Nishing told PTI.
The Himalayan state with over 13.82 lakh population as per 2011 census and a density of 17 per sq km, is divided into 15 medical districts.
It targets 2,34,306 children under MCC. In all 2,18,291 in the age group of nine months to 10 years have been covered under the scheme so far, according to official data. (PTI)
