About the news
- UNICEF seeks help from Islamic bodies to achieve vaccination goal
- To quell the rumours around the measles-rubella vaccine, UNICEF has reached out to Islamic civil society organisations, religious leaders and academia to create trust and address myths around immunisation.
Issue
- This is the first time the rubella vaccine has been introduced in India’s childhood immunisation programme
- Misinformation about the vaccine in minority communities has caused concern in the government.
- They are not willing to take part in the vaccination program
Vaccination program in India
- India has one of the largest immunisation programmes in the world, with nearly 26 million children targeted annually for immunisation.
- According to UNICEF, despite extensive coverage, only 65% of children in India received all vaccines during the first year of their life.
Measles Rubella
- Rubella, which is commonly referred to as German Measles, is a mild infection, but can have serious consequences if it occurs in pregnant women.
- With 134,200 measles deaths globally in 2015, of which around 49,200 occurred in India — nearly 36%
- Immunisation is one of the most effective and cost-effective ways to protect children’s lives and futures.
- The recently introduced measles rubella vaccine, which will be provided for free in schools
About the Vaccine
- The introduction of these new vaccines in the Universal Immunisation Programme aims to reduce childhood mortality and protect children
- It prevent from three major highly preventable and potentially fatal diseases — measles, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
- The first-time introduction of the rubella vaccine, in a combination MR shot, protects children against irreversible and devastating health issues.
UNICEF has engaged with Urdu media in efforts to create trust in vaccines and address myths around immunisation
Source : The Hindu
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