Mumbai: Impotency rumour derails vaccination drive, civic body seeks divine intervention!

Bhayandar: To achieve 100 percent immunisation coverage in the twin city, the health department of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) recently launched an operation for the success of ‘Mission Indradhanush’. The intensive ‘Rainbow’ vaccination drive against seven life threatening diseases covering all partially or unvaccinated children aged 0 to 2 years of age and also pregnant women.

However, misconceptions triggered by baseless rumours alleging that the vaccination was aimed at making children of a particular community impotent, has created serious hurdles in the successful implementation of the much-needed immunisation campaign. Some communities associate free health services with family planning campaigns that they believe are being targetted at the minority populations.

Realising that illiteracy and lack of access to information were the major hurdles in allaying people’s fears, the MBMC is now collaborating with clerics, local community and religious leaders to address those fears and misconceptions so that they can alter parental attitudes and encourage people to join the vaccination drive.

As per official statistics, the health department has achieved a target of 76 percent in terms of administering vaccines to kids under ‘Mission Indradhanush’.The remaining include kids of migratory construction workers and those who refuse vaccination due to irrational and religious beliefs.

After an intensive survey, the MBMC has identified pockets in the region where the mission will be launched between November 7 to 14 in 93 special sessions in the outreach and mobile formats.

“Rumours and misbeliefs tend to derail such drives which are extremely necessary to keep children free from any type of disease. Now, we have roped in community leaders, social workers and corporators to help us eradicate illiteracy about the endeavor.” said deputy municipal commissioner Sambhaji Panpatte.

Depicting seven colours of the ‘Rainbow’, the initiative is part of the nationwide campaign launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to cover children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against seven vaccine-preventable diseases including-Diphtheria, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Polio, Tuberculosis, Measles and Hepatitis-B.