Haryana to introduce pentavalent vaccination in October

by Haryananewswire (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, SEPT 1

The Haryana Health Department will launch pentavalent vaccination in October 2012, wherein vaccination for five vaccine preventable diseases would be given in a single injection, to further intensify  its campaign aimed at reducing infant and child mortality rate in the State.

          While stating this today, Health Minister, Rao Narender Singh said that the State Government has been making concerted efforts to reduce infant and child mortality rate by treating sick infants and children through implementation of Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) Programme. This programme includes counseling for breastfeeding, identification of sick children and management of pneumonia, diarrheal diseases and infections by female multipurpose health workers.

          He said that immunization of children against vaccine preventable diseases was one of the important steps to reduce infant and child mortality rate. He said that the current year has been declared as the Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization. Also, immunization services were being provided free of cost to prevent the children against seven diseases namely Poliomylitis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Measles and Hepatitis B. The evaluated coverage of fully immunized children has increased to 71.7 per cent during the year 2009 as against 59.6 per cent during the year 2007-08.

          Rao Narender Singh said that Measles Catchup Campaign was conducted successfully throughout the State to immunize 48.50 lakh children between the age group of nine months and 10 years. He said that measles surveillance and routine immunization monitoring has been initiated with technical support from World Health Organization. He said that Haryana has become a Polio-free State since January 2010. He said that with the technical support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a supportive supervision exercise was being started to tackle technical issues related to immunization.

          He said that to ensure accurate reporting of deaths, a surveillance system namely Maternal and Infant Death Review System (MIDRS) has been introduced in the State which collects data from various stake holders and compiles the consolidated data.