‘Vaccination at birth to continue’

NEW DELHI: Vaccination at birth will continue in hospitals or clinics irrespective of the categorisation of Covid-19 containment zone, the Union health ministry said in an advisory on immunisation issued on Thursday.

While in other cases, providing vaccination doses as per the schedule will only be allowed outside the containment and buffer zones, and in green zones. In containment and buffer zones no outreach programme is allowed to be conducted to mobilise the target population; however people who walk-into a health facility to get their child vaccinated should not be turned away, and adequate precautionary measures must be taken during the process.

The advisory was issued amid fears that immunisation services were being entirely stalled, putting young children at risk of contracting vaccine preventable illnesses that could become lifethreatening.

As a standard practice, immunisation services are delivered through the following modes: birth dose vaccination in health facilities where the child is born and another option is for walk-in immunisation sessions at fixed health facilities such as district hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres or sub-centres etc.

Doctors say while vaccination at birth will not be a problem it is the other doses that need to be carefully planned. “Vaccination at birth means that you are likely to be in a hospital. The next vaccination is usually six weeks onwards, and in the first six months at least three visits will be required... Since Covid is here to stay, there’s a need to plan better for the remaining doses after discussing with the doctor..,” says Dr Nitin Verma, senior pediatrician, Max Healthcare.