Schools, parents up in arms over Karnataka's massive vaccination drive
- More than 1.6 crore children will be vaccinated for measles and rubella from February 7–28.
- Several parents have expressed apprehensions about a repeated dose of the vaccine.
- Schools and government departments have traded accusations on the lack of information about the initiative.
FollowIn what is being touted as the largest immunisation drive organised by the Karnataka Government, nearly 1.64 crore children between the ages of nine months and 15 years will receive the vaccine for measles and rubella (MR). The programme is being sponsored by the Central Government and is being monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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The drive is part of the Central Government’s plan to eliminate MR from Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Lakshadweep by 2020. Explaining arrangements for the drive, officials told mediapersons that all schools (residential, government run, etc.) and anganwadis would be covered in the drive. As many as 14 lakh children will be covered in Bengaluru alone.
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However, the plan has caused confusion among schools. Speaking to The News Minute, the principal of a school in Bengaluru said that his institution had got information on the drive from the media only and had not got any official communication yet. However, Dr Latha, State Deputy Director of Immunisation, said that the government had issued circulars to all schools.
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Several parents have also spoken out against the mandatory vaccination drive. As many children have received two doses of MR vaccines, these parents are questioning whether a third dose would be safe. One such parent has started a petition on Change.org on the issue that calls on the Central and State governments to call off the drive. A WHO doctor has dismissed the parents’ fears, noting that only children who had missed the first two doses were at risk of developing mild fever and rashes.
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Another factor that could undermine the efficiency of the vaccination campaign is the acute shortage in the number of auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), who are a vital part of the primary health infrastructure. A Health Department official told the New Indian Express in December that 6,500 ANMs would be deployed during the drive, which is far less than the 11,500 positions in Karnataka’s health centres.
