Routine Immunisation strengthened in Bihar
By Anupam Srivastava Patna, Bihar, 6 February 2006 : Eleven- month old Babli, resting in her mother's lap in a village in the Nawada district of Bihar, needs protection against diseases that threaten every child. Until recently, this protection was limited only to the polio vaccine. As a result of a special mobile immunisation campaign implemented by UNICEF, Babli will now not only get her BCG (for protection against tuberculosis) and DPT (against diphtheria) shots, but will be vaccinated against several other diseases as well. The campaign is largely funded by the Government, with UNICEF support. "What makes this campaign special is also the fact that it will be implemented in 8,000 villages which are remote, away from the main roads or are not well-connected and are marginalised" says State Representative Bijaya Rajbhandari. Under the campaign, vaccinators travelling in 800 mobile vaccination units, fully equipped with vaccine and cold boxes and public announcement system, will immunise children in two villages a day. In many of the villages, children have not been immunised for years. A monitoring cell will collect and collate information.
The campaign has the twin objective of vaccinating children in the remotest areas of all the districts as well as informing people about the benefits of "routine" immunisation so that they can access the services locally. The campaign will be conducted in three phases. "We will be there in March and April as well, looking for children who need booster shots, or new-borns who are not yet linked up with the routine immunisation programme," says Mr. Rajbhandari. The campaign was launched by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 3 February 2006. Addressing a media conference after flagging off vehicles designed to serve as mobile vaccination units, he said, "This is the year of immunisation for the state, and we will ensure that children get the necessary protection from diseases that can threaten their lives and health." Bihar, where immunisation rates had fallen below 15 per cent, reinvigorated the routine immunisation programme with UNICEF support, and re-launched it on 15 August 2005, India's Independence Day. UNICEF has been supporting the programme by strengthening the cold chain system, data management and training health staff – two major inputs into the programme – apart from introducing the state-of-the-art auto-destruct syringes in selected districts (which cause less pain and help in avoiding abscess). "We are advocating at the highest levels to ensure that routine immunisation – which can help cut infant and child mortality rates – increases in the state," said Mr. Rajbhandari. A recent UNICEF-supported study found that there was at least a 10 per cent improvement in immunisation levels across the state from its launching on 15 August. "The trends look encouraging, and we are certain we will reach a very large number of children," says Mr. Rajbhandari.
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