MBMC vaccination drive on cards

Mumbai: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) is on an overdrive to sensitise and spread awareness about the measles-rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, which will begin on November 27.

Since the target group is from the age bracket of nine months to 15 years, the MBMC, apart from other community initiatives, has focused on principals and teachers to motivate children as well as their parents. As a part of the pre-MR vaccination campaign, a series of orientation training-cum-workshops for parents, principals and nodal teachers of municipal and private schools are being held in the twin-city. At one such orientation camp in Mira Road, a health post lead by Dr Tejaswini Lanjekar explained in detail about the necessary guidelines for pre and post-school campaign including safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and urged her counterparts to create a proactive and conducive atmosphere at school for the success of the drive.

Through the successful implementation of the MR vaccination campaign, the government aims at eliminating measles and control rubella by 2020 and to build up the immunity in children across the country. Measles is a life-threatening disease which spreads through virus which causes disability and untimely death of children, while rubella is an infectious disease caused by virus which has measles like symptoms, infects both boys and girls and if a pregnant woman gets infected, it can result in congenital rubella syndrome which is harmful for the foetus and newborn child.