Jayantakumar launches Statewide Measles Rubella vaccination

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, March 26, 2018: Health and family welfare minister L. Jayantakumar Singh today launched statewide Measles Rubella vaccination campaign with a function held at the premises of Ibotonsana Girls Higher Secondary School.

The vaccination campaign was launched as India launches nationwide campaign with the support of WHO. This would be one of the world’s largest vaccination campaigns against Measles and Reubella.

Ahead of launching the vaccination campaign, measles had claimed lives of four children at Phoklong village in Tamenglong district since February, the last child died on March 21 night. There were about 60 measles infected patients in the village itself when the children died. Two of them were in critical conditions.

Minister Jayantakumar said, “What is important for a society is to attain welfare and if the society is not free from diseases it is quite meaningless even if the state is rich”,. He appealed the people to avail from the statewide vaccination campaign so that children of the state are safe.

Instead of blaming the department children must be vaccinated at the right time provided for protection from different kinds of diseases by the health department, said the minister.

Director of health services and national health mission, Dr. K. Rajo Singh earlier said vaccination will be run at all schools, across communities, at government hospitals and health centres, and will go on for five weeks. He further stated that immunisation is one of the most effective and cost effective ways to protect children’s lives and future from these diseases.

Around eight lakh children from all the 16 districts are targeted to be vaccinated in this campaign. Today the vaccination has also begun in Chandel among others.

Representative of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Pranay Dutta assured that the vaccination is safe and has no side effects.

Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus with symptoms ranging from dry cough, runny nose, diarrhoea, headache, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. The symptoms do not appear until 10-14 days after exposure.

Cases of measles outbreak are also found in Namtiram village. Ten children have been affected, said a report.  Namtiram is a village situated just four kilometres away from Tamenglong district headquarter but is one and half hour long drive.