Health dept plans drives to immunise kids in 40 blocks

OBJECTIVE Children in these blocks were given one or two vaccines, and not all as prescribed under the national immunisation programme

JAIPUR: The state health department will organise special camps in 40 blocks of 10 districts to immunise children, officials said.

“Special drives will be carried out in villages of 40 blocks by this month-end and around 12,000 children will be fully immunised,” Dr Satish Garg, project director (immunisation), told Hindustan Times on Saturday.

The 40 blocks have been identified on the basis of the inmmunisation Coverage Evaluation Survey (CES) 2014-15.

Children in the 40 blocks had been administered one or two vaccines, and not all as prescribed under the national immunisation programme. “There are children who have not received any vaccine after birth,” said an official.

“The department has prepared a micro plan with route plans to reach these children.”

Rajasthan recorded around 4% increase in immunisation coverage between 2012 and 2015, health department officials said. More than 77% of children in the state have been fully immunised, according to the coverage evaluation survey 2014-15.

“Blocks were analysed and it was found that 40 were having low coverage and contribute to around 30% of total unimmunised children of the state. Special drives will be initiated in those blocks,” said an official.

Of the 2,708 sub-centres in these blocks, 382 have recorded low immunisation coverage in the last three years.

The health department plans to reach out to 12,000 children below 24 months to make them fully immunised.

“Unicef’s help has been taken. Unicef will send to the villages communication teams that will mobilise communities through street plays, and on designated days, camps will be organised to immunise the children,” said an official.

Lack of health staff is a major reason for low immunisation in these villages, mostly inhabited by nomadic families and migrating labourers. Barmer Bikaner Jalore Jodhpur

Balotra, Barmer, Baytu, Chohtan, Dhorimana, Sheo, Sindhari, Siwana

Bikaner, Dungargarh, Kolayat, Loonkaransar, Nokha

Ahore, Bhinmal, Chitalwana, Jalore, Jaswantpura, Sayla, Raniwara, Sanchore

Bap, Bhopalgarh, Bilara, Luni, Osian, Phalodi, Shergarh

THE 40 BLOCKS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED ON THE BASIS OF THE INMMUNISATION COVERAGE EVALUATION SURVEY (CES) 2014-15