To dispel fears, BMC official gets daughter a vaccination in public
Richa Pinto | TNN | Jan 25, 2019, 05:49 IST
Assistant municipal commissioner Manish Valanju (R) with his wife and baby at the public function.MUMBAI: In a city plagued by civic apathy, a BMC official has taken a small but welcome step to lead by example. Assistant municipal commissioner of L ward Manish Valanju got the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine administered to his 17-month-old daughter Mokshita at a public function to dispel misconceptions among people.
Refusal or hesitation to get a vaccination against deadly diseases is seen as one of the top threats to public health, says WHO.
Valanju said he took the step after his staff complained to him that only one lakh of the 2.5 lakh schoolchildren in his ward—which covers parts of Kurla, Saki Naka and Chunnabatti that happen to be mostly Muslim-dominated areas—had been inoculated in the two months since the civic drive began. He was told that several parents refused to let their children get the shots in school as they believed the rumour that the MR vaccine might lead to health issues.
“The vaccine is safe. And to prove it, I got my daughter vaccinated at the programme organized by local corporator Saeeda Khan for municipal schoolchildren on January 16,” said Valanju.
Assistant municipal commissioner of L ward Manish Valanju and his wife Rupali took their 17-month-old daughter Mokshita onto a stage at a public function for civic schoolchildren in Kurla where a medical officer administered her the measles-rubella vaccine as hundreds of parents watched. “I noticed a positive reaction among the parents as they saw my daughter playing immediately after getting the shot,” said Valanju. “Almost 50 of them then got their children vaccinated at the programme.”
He added that after the public function, which was organized by local corporator Saeeda Khan on January 16, the number of students vaccinated in his ward jumped to 42% from 28% in one week. “Of course, there are other factors too that have accelerated the rate of immunization,” he added. Valanju said his elder daughter Manasvi, who is five years old, had already got the shot in school, or else he would have brought her there too.
In December, former state health minister Deepak Sawant too had got the MR vaccine administered to his grandchildren at their Vile Parle school.
When Valanju took charge as assistant municipal commissioner a month before the drive began, he was upset with the dismal number of vaccinations in L ward. He instructed his staff to create more awareness about the drive, but that didn’t help. Last week, when Valanju learnt that Khan was organizing a programme, Bal Mahotsav, for civic schoolkids, he decided to make the most of this opportunity and took his family there.
Lauding Valanju’s action, Khan said there could have been no better way than to get your own child vaccinated to change people’s perception about the MR vaccine.
On November 27, 2018, the state government began its six-week MR vaccine drive for children between nine months and 15 years of age, free of cost. Till January 10, nearly 2.5 crore of the targeted 3 crore children in the state were vaccinated. Of the 50 lakh-odd children who are yet to be vaccinated, around 15 lakh were from Mumbai, said officials.
Refusal or hesitation to get a vaccination against deadly diseases is seen as one of the top threats to public health, says WHO.
Valanju said he took the step after his staff complained to him that only one lakh of the 2.5 lakh schoolchildren in his ward—which covers parts of Kurla, Saki Naka and Chunnabatti that happen to be mostly Muslim-dominated areas—had been inoculated in the two months since the civic drive began. He was told that several parents refused to let their children get the shots in school as they believed the rumour that the MR vaccine might lead to health issues.
“The vaccine is safe. And to prove it, I got my daughter vaccinated at the programme organized by local corporator Saeeda Khan for municipal schoolchildren on January 16,” said Valanju.
Assistant municipal commissioner of L ward Manish Valanju and his wife Rupali took their 17-month-old daughter Mokshita onto a stage at a public function for civic schoolchildren in Kurla where a medical officer administered her the measles-rubella vaccine as hundreds of parents watched. “I noticed a positive reaction among the parents as they saw my daughter playing immediately after getting the shot,” said Valanju. “Almost 50 of them then got their children vaccinated at the programme.”
He added that after the public function, which was organized by local corporator Saeeda Khan on January 16, the number of students vaccinated in his ward jumped to 42% from 28% in one week. “Of course, there are other factors too that have accelerated the rate of immunization,” he added. Valanju said his elder daughter Manasvi, who is five years old, had already got the shot in school, or else he would have brought her there too.
In December, former state health minister Deepak Sawant too had got the MR vaccine administered to his grandchildren at their Vile Parle school.
When Valanju took charge as assistant municipal commissioner a month before the drive began, he was upset with the dismal number of vaccinations in L ward. He instructed his staff to create more awareness about the drive, but that didn’t help. Last week, when Valanju learnt that Khan was organizing a programme, Bal Mahotsav, for civic schoolkids, he decided to make the most of this opportunity and took his family there.
Lauding Valanju’s action, Khan said there could have been no better way than to get your own child vaccinated to change people’s perception about the MR vaccine.
On November 27, 2018, the state government began its six-week MR vaccine drive for children between nine months and 15 years of age, free of cost. Till January 10, nearly 2.5 crore of the targeted 3 crore children in the state were vaccinated. Of the 50 lakh-odd children who are yet to be vaccinated, around 15 lakh were from Mumbai, said officials.
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