As many as 61 schools from across the city have refused to let the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) carry out its measles and rubella vaccination campaign on their premises. While the target was to reach out to 29 lakh children in the age group of nine months to 15 years, the civic body has managed to cover only 18.5 lakh children so far. Access to the remaining children is a major challenge due to refusal from schools.
“We are struggling to find a way around. We have written several letters to principals and trustees through our ward officers. We have also attempted to convince them though representatives of the World Health Organization. Even the Collector has written to these schools but the only response we get is negative,” BMC’s assistant health officer Dr. Chandrashekhar Chiplunkar said. Of the 61 schools, 43 are primary and secondary schools, 15 are pre-schools, and three are madrassas.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease known to cause diarrhoea, pneumonia, and infections in the brain. Rubella is a contagious viral disease that can cause crippling birth defects like blindness, deafness, heart defects, mental retardation. The measles-rubella (MR) vaccine — a two-in-one shot — gives nearly 85% and 95% protection against the two diseases. The ongoing vaccination campaign that started on November 27 is to give a booster dose for better immunity.
According to Dr. Chiplunkar, health workers implementing the scheme are facing a strong resistance from schools in B, M East, and A wards. “Ten schools from B ward, 12 from M East, and four from A ward have refused to cooperate. The refusal is from small-time schools as well as high-end elite schools,” he said.
Non-vaccinated children put the entire community at risk. Since 65% of the target is school going children, drives held in the school are most effective. “Those who are not protected through the vaccine will anyway remain vulnerable. But those who are protected can be the carriers of the virus putting others at risk. Therefore, a larger and wider immunity blanket is utmost important,” Dr. Chiplunkar said.
At the beginning of the campaign, nearly 180 schools had refused permission. Gradually, with several awareness initiatives, civic officials managed to convince many schools to change their opinion.