Ranchi: The state health, education and family welfare department is set to administer polio vaccines to children in smart syringes from next month.
Auto-disposable syringes, also called smart syringes, will be used to administer third dosage of polio to at least eight lakh children in the state in a vaccination drive beginning from the first week of April.
Though being procured primarily for polio vaccination purposes, the department has plans to use the smart syringes across primary and community health centres (PHC and CHC), subdivisional and district hospitals and the three medical colleges from the next financial year to check the rampant use of re-used syringes in these facilities.
State immunization officer Dr Ajit Prasad said the new syringes will be used to administer the third dose to the two oral drops.
"The first two drops to these children have been administered orally. The new vaccination will be administered as per mandates of the World Health Organization (WHO)," Prasad said.
In the first phase, smart syringes will be used to administer polio vaccines to at least 28,000 children, the department said.
The smart syringes prevent re-use on its own as the plunger breaks down after a single use. "The syringes will largely prevent re-use, cases of which are reported from government hospitals," said Dr Pravin Chandra, director in chief of state health services. "The procurement of syringes is underway," Chandra added.
Using of reused syringes, which can lead to serious health hazards, has been reported from the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) in January this year. A surprise inspection by the hospital authority caught nurses running for cover and hiding the syringes.
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