SHILLONG: East Khasi Hills district is all set to launch ‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) beginning from October 7. The mission is aimed at providing vaccines against preventable diseases to children below 2 years and pregnant women.
Dr J B Ranee, DMCHO lamented that there were many refusal pockets in the district where the headman and people refused to immunize their children due to superstitious beliefs and misconceptions
Ranee informed that some of the major refusal pockets in the districts are Mawryngkneng and Mowkynriew and added that the Deputy Commissioner of the district has already written to the Block Development Officers and headmen to come forward and immunize their children.
The First round of the intensified Mission Indrdhanush campaign will be held on October 7 followed by second round on November 7.
The third round will be held on December 7 while the fourth round will be held on January 8 and all the rounds will be of one-week long.
Under the intensified Mission Indradhanush, approximately, around 11326 children in the district will be immunized and similarly, 1772 pregnant women would also be immunized.
According to Ranee, the target under the Mission Indrahanush is to cover 90 percent children by 2020 but now the target has been revised to January 2018 and hence intensified Mission Indradhanush has been initiated.
Sluggish pace of implementation of Mission Indradhanush was also a factor which forced the Union Government to revise the target.
She also informed that the total immunisation of the children in the state till the year 2013 was 52 percent and now it has increased to 69 percent.
As far as infant mortality rate is concerned, the district saw 30 infant mortalities per 1000 live births in the year 2014-15 and the number increased to 31 in 2015-16. In the year 2016-17, the infant mortality in the district was 36.
She, however, informed that many children from different areas were brought here to East Khasi Hills district for treatment due to availability of hospitals and if they die here those deaths are counted as infant mortality of the district.