Hailakandi
A Media Advocacy Workshop on the upcoming Measles Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign was held at the conference hall of Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer (FW) in Hailakandi district of Assam .
Sensitizing the press persons of print and electronic media, Joint Director, Health Services, Dr. Avijit Basu said the MR campaign starting over the next two months would target children in the age group of nine months to less than 15 years against life-threatening diseases.
India, along with ten other WHO South East Asia Region member countries, has resolved to eliminate measles and control rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) by 2020.
Dr. Basu said micro level planning has been drawn up to ensure that every child is vaccinated in the district.
The Joint Director said that to ensure coverage of 95 per cent, the department has held a series of sensitization programmes at BPHCs across the district in which mothers, headmasters and nodal teachers turned up in large numbers.
Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer (FW), Dr. Abed Rasul Mazumder said efforts are on to bring the actual number of students enrolled at the time of admission under the immunization programme and not solely on attendance register.
District Information and Public Relations Officer, Sabir Nishat said media has a pivotal role to play in spreading the message loud and clear that MR vaccine is highly safe and effective and it helps in protecting children from life-threatening diseases. He also urged the media to dispel doubts and apprehensions that may crop up in the minds of the people.
Interacting with the health officials, the media persons, too, offered invaluable suggestions and assured to pitch in their efforts to make the MR campaign a success.
The workshop was attended, among others, by District Immunization Officer Dr. K. Thambalsana Rongmei and WHO consultant, Dr. Migon Doley.
