Measles-Rubella vaccine campaign to cover 18.6 lakh children in HP

Around 18.6 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh would be covered under the single shot Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine campaign, officials said today.

The Measles Rubella (MR) vaccination was added to India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) in February. The vaccine replaces the two doses of measles vaccines given at 9- 12 months and 16-24 months of age.

"2,760 teams will vaccinate 18.6 lakh children in 23,780 sessions all over state," State Immunization Officer Mangla Sood said at a workshop on the vaccination campaign.

Pradeep Haldar, Deputy Commissioner in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, "Through full immunisation coverage, we can make sure the benefits of life-saving vaccines reach every child. The Measles-Rubella vaccine, which will be provided free of cost in schools, health facilities and outreach session sites during the campaign, is another such step toward achieving our goals."

Sonia Sarkar, Communication Officer, UNICEF India, in a statement said the media's support was necessary "to ensure that every child is immunised".

The first phase of the MR campaign was conducted in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Puducherry and Lakshadweep and around 3.3 crore children were vaccinated.

The second phase of the campaign will involve eight states, out of which the campaign has already started in five.