September 04, 2018: Polio is gone, Measles-Rubella is next – media persons will play a crucial role in eradicating Measles-Rubella (MR) as reports of media personnel shape ideas and generate awareness among the masses, opined experts in a State level Media Workshop organized by National Health Mission, Health and Family Welfare Department in collaboration with UNICEF. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr JK Dev Verma, Director of State Health Services and was held at Agartala today. It was a part of mega initiative undertaken by NHM and other stakeholders to make upcoming MR Immunization programme a grand success. The MR Immunization Programme – in which children from 9 months to 15 years of age will be vaccinated – will commence from September 15, 2018 in the State.
In his speech, Dr Dev Varma clearly mentioned, “Our vaccines are safe. MR vaccination is children’s birth right and everyone of the society, including the media persons should ensure that no one is left out from the coverage country’s largest ever immunization campaign”. Dispelling fear of a small section of guardians, he suggested apprehensive parents to directly consult concerned experts instead of relying on hearsay.
Among others, Dr Tusher Rane, Chief of Field Office UNICEF of Guwahati, Dr Maulik Shah, Health Officer of UNICEF and Dr Madhusudan Chowdhury delivered speeches highlighting importance of MR Immunization programme and role of media.
Experts said, the MR campaign marks the introduction of the Rubella Vaccin in India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UPI) for the first time. Rubella is a mild infection but can have serious consequences if it occurs in pregnant women. Rubella affected pregnant women may have miscarriage or still birth. Also, new born babies develop irreversible diseases which can not even be treated.
Routine Immunization is a low cost, high impact intervention which successfully eradicated Polio and Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus in 2014 and 2015 respectively, said Dr M Shah and added, in each of these cases, media played constructive role in shaping public ideas and dispelling myths and fear.
In his speech, Dr Tushar Rane urged the media to address misconception and dispel apprehensions of public. He also said, the MR Campaign was successfully covered in 12 states in two phases with, in some cases, achieved 97 per cent success. He also hoped, the MR Campaign will also be successful in Tripura.
