The national survey has found that the rate of full immunization in urban areas is low as compared to rural areas in Uttar Pradesh, and there was a need to accelerate the pace of immunisation in urban parts of the state.
This was disclosed by Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak while announcing special vaccination fortnight every month till March next in order to accelerate India’s goal of eradicating measles by December 2023.
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Along with this, regular vaccination sessions will also be organized daily in all the urban areas of the state, said Pathak, who is in-charge of the Health Department during a media workshop here on Thursday. The workshop was organized by UP Medical Health and Family Welfare Department and UNICEF.
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Pathak said: “As a result of the work done in the field of health during the past years, the rate of full immunization as per the NFHS-4 was 51 per cent in the state which has gone up to 69.6 per cent in the NFHS-5. This is the result of the quality work being done by the state government in the health sector.”
He said: “A national survey has found that the rate of full immunization in urban areas is lower than in rural areas. Therefore, the need for additional efforts was felt to promote vaccination in urban areas. From now on, vaccination will be done daily at district hospitals, urban community health centres and primary health centres.”
The Deputy Chief Minister on the occasion also unveiled the acceptance of MR elimination roadmap in the state and inaugurated the new system of daily vaccination in urban hospitals.
Special vaccination fortnight will be organized across the state from January 9 to January 20, February 13 to February 24 and March 13 to March 24. Along with this, regular vaccination activities will continue uninterrupted in all urban and rural areas of the state, he said.
Talking about the eradication of measles and rubella, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Partha Sarathi Sen Sharma said: “In December 2022, all the children of 0-5 year will be listed in the urban and rural areas of all the districts of the state. Their vaccination status was assessed.”
“In this survey, 2.5 crore children in the age group of 0-5 years were found. The survey found that out of these, more than 5 lakh children have not received their Penta-1 dose and more than 7 lakh children have not received their second dose of Measles Rubella (MR) vaccine. Vaccination fortnights are being organized with the aim of completing the vaccination of these missed children.”
Sen Sharma said: “Uttar Pradesh has been a model for other states in Covid management and vaccination, and now we aspire to be the same when it comes to measles and rubella elimination.”
In the workshop, Sen Sharma also announced a contest in which people will also be asked to make short videos of 1-2 minutes on vaccination and tag them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages of NHM and Health Department. The best three videos will be given prize money of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50000 and Rs 25000.
Zakari Adam, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Uttar Pradesh, said: “Life and full immunization is the right of every child. Immunization plays an important role in reducing infant and child mortality. Children who are fully immunized stay healthier, do better in school, and fulfill their potential.”
Adam, while exhorting media persons to become child rights champions, said: “The success of the polio campaign and the fight against Covid-19 would not have been possible without the cooperation of the media. With the help of the media, Uttar Pradesh can achieve the goal of eradication of measles and rubella before all the states.”
Mission Director, National Health Mission, Aparna Yu said: “With an aim to further improve immunization services, the e-Kavach portal has been designed. In this, the data of the children of the state is being entered, so that name-wise enumeration of all the children can be done and those children or groups whose vaccination remains incomplete can be identified.”
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