SHILLONG: To curb the menace of childhood mortality and morbidity rates in the State, the Union Health & Family Welfare Ministry along with the Government of Meghalaya will launch two new vaccines – Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine and Pentavalent – at Ganesh Das Hospital on Thursday, under the Routine Immunization Programme.
P.D. Chyne, Deputy Director, MCH & FW, informed on Wednesday polio drops will continue to be administered in addition to the two vaccines.
Meghalaya (49%) comes second to Assam (55%) in the North East in infant mortality rate.
“Considering the high mortality rate, the introduction of these two vaccines will boost the overall health and well-being of children in the State,” she said.
They urged parents and members of the local community to take advantage of the routine vaccination programme. “Children need to be vaccinated in time for there is 3-4 times risk of dying resulting in the high IMR,” Nilanjan Roy, Surveillance Officer, said.
“The new vaccines are expensive; a single dose of IPV and Pentavalent would cost about Rs.120 and Rs.130 respectively. Field staffs are provided training on the knowledge of the vaccines to be implemented on October 15,”Chyne informed.
The IPV vaccine is an injectable vaccine which will replace the existing Trivalent OPV, that contains vaccine against all three types of poliovirus – P1,P2,P3 – to the Bivalent OPV, that contains vaccine against P1 and P3, after withdrawing a P2 component.
The Pentavalent vaccine is a combination of five individual vaccines that prevents diseases like whooping cough, Influenza type B, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Diphtheria in infants.
