Mawkyrwat/ nongpoh: South West Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Isawanda Laloo on Friday informed that the district will be one among the four in Meghalaya to start the campaign from September 24 while 7 others are expected to start the campaign from October 1
Speaking as the chief guest in a campaign held at Mawkyrwat called upon the people of the district to cooperate in the Measles & Rubella Vaccination Campaign saying the society will be safe only after 100% vaccination from measles and rubella.
Laloo also informed that 24 states in the country have started the campaign in which 17 have already achieved 100% including two in North East. “The main objective is to eradicate the measles and control rubella in children,” Laloo said, adding that 36% of children in the world who died from measles were Indians.
Laloo urged the people not to believe in rumours that the vaccination is dangerous as there is no case reported from states which have achieved 100% immunisation. “Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have achieved 100 percent vaccination and there are no reported case from there,” Isawana said.
Meanwhile, the office of the District Medical and Health Officer along with the Deputy Commissioner of Ri Bhoi District on Friday conducted a media sensitization workshop on Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign (MRVC), an efforts to eradicate illness and deaths due to measles and rubella in the country.
The workshop held at the Conference Hall of DRDA, Nongpoh was attended by Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, Rosetta Mary Kurbah, District Medical & Health Officer of Ri Bhoi, Dr M Mawrie, District MCH Officer Dr AR Marak, Dr G Mihsil, Dr AG Syiemlieh and other officers from the National Health Mission of the District. The workshop was also attended by the World Health Organisation representative from Regional Resource Team (RRT), Dr Priyanka Sharma and media persons.
The Deputy Commissioner while speaking at the workshop welcomed the media persons as they play a huge role in spreading mass awareness and informed that the district will be going all out to fight the disease.
She also informed that parent-teacher meeting in all schools of the district is almost completed. The campaign is expected to start from October 1 in the district.
She also request all stakeholders of the society including the traditional heads, the headmen, church leaders and the people at large to take responsibility in ensuring that children from 9 months t0 15 years are vaccinated.
The DC also stated that the vaccine is safe and additional vaccination even if the child is also immunized would provide additional protection to children.
Meanwhile, WHO RRT representative, Dr Priyanka Sharma gave detailed presentation on the need to eradicate measles and rubella though a simple dose of MR Vaccination being offered free of cost by the government as there is no alternative ways to cure this disease.
Dr Sharma also stressed that in order to achieve the 100% target of the mission, a maximum coverage of 95% is mandatory to achieve and this requires the active participation of each and everyone in the society.
“Pro active roles of the printed and electronic media is very important to achieve 100% success of this programme, “ DMHO Ri Bhoi, Dr Mawrie said during the workshop while adding that this mission must be completed within a timeframe of five weeks time starting from October 1.