Govt launches rotavirus vaccine to tackle IMR, diarrhoeal deaths

Ranchi: Taking another step towards reducing the

infant mortality

rate,

Jharkhand

became the 10th state to introduce vaccine against rotavirus on Saturday, which coincided with the World Health Day, at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims).

The vaccine is used to prevent the contamination of rotavirus, which is highly contagious and spreads through the faecal oral route – when a child’s hands come in contact with infected water and food.

The Centre introduced the rotavirus vaccine during its universal immunisation programme (UIP) in 2016. The UIP programme provides vaccinations against 10 preventable childhood diseases, including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles, hepatitis B, pneumonia meningitis and rotavirus.

Diarrhoea

is responsible for most under-five mortality among children, with around 10 to 15 percent infants dying of rotavirus contamination in the state.

Principal secretary (health) Nidhi Khare, who was present at the launch of the vaccine, said frequent diarrhoea among children is also one of the major cause for malnourishment. “We need to find out if the introduction of rotavirus vaccination can bring down

malnourishment

and ultimately reduce the infant mortality rate in the state.”

The rotavirus vaccination has been brought under the universal immunisation programme of the state and will be administered to infants in government establishments thrice for free of cost when they turn 1.5 months, 2.5 months and 3.5 months. The vaccine will be applied in the same manner as that of polio.

Nidhi Khare said, “Jharkhand is the only state where the rotavirus vaccine will be applied as an oral dose, and not injected, to eliminate pain among infants.”

Chief minister Raghubar Das applied the first dose of rotavirus vaccine on an infant at the occasion. The officials of the state health directorate said the immunisation drive against rotavirus would carried out in every district and villages from Saturday.

Das said diarrhoea is the second biggest child health problem after malnutrition. “We are poised to put an end to malnutrition from the state and tackling diarrhoeal death among infants is a step towards that direction.”

Every year around 78,000 children under the age of five die of diarrhoea, out of which at least 2,500 are from Jharkhand. However, according to the statistics available with the Unicef Jharkhand, more than 30,000 children die in the state every year before turning five.

The sample registration survey (SRS) for 2016, conducted by the Centre and released last year, said Jharkhand's infant mortality rate (IMR) was 29 per 1,000 live births in 2016. India’s national IMR stands at 34.

The chief minister said, “The health volunteers and auxilaary nurse midwives (ANM) will visit every household across the state to spread awareness against rotavirus contamination and administer the vaccine in days to come to put an end to the menace.”


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