134 Million Indian children Targeted for Second Dose of Measles Vaccination DriveNEW DELHI, India , 9 November 2010 – The Government of India today launched the second dose of measles vaccination in the states of Assam (Morigaon district) and Arunachal Pradesh (East Siang district). The drive is the first in a year long public health initiative, supported by UNICEF and WHO, targeting 134 million children in 14 high risk states to prevent an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 child deaths annually. Children, if not vaccinated, are at risk of the disease and its severe health complications such as pneumonia, diarrhea and encephalitis. Globally, an estimated 400 children die from measles every day. Three out of the four children, who died from measles in 2008, were from India. As part of the Indian national immunisation strategy, fourteen states were identified by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunsiation (NTAGI) as having less than eighty per cent coverage and were thus advised to introduce a measles catch-up drive for children between the ages of nine months to ten years. In the rest of the country, the second dose of measles vaccination will be given as part of the Routine Immunisation (RI) programme. For media queries and more information: Angela Walker Geetanjali Master Alistair Gretarsson Sonia Sarkar
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