2.23 cr children administered measles-rubella jabs: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said her government has completed a measles and rubella vaccination campaign with 2.23 crore children being successfully vaccinated.

“Happy to share: West Bengal successfully completed Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign for children aged 9 months to 15 years from 9th Jan to 31st March 2023. Total 2.23 Crore children successfully vaccinated which is 96% of state target and 22% of state population. 93% of children found vaccinated. Speed of vaccination in the state is one of the fastest in the country with 1 Crore vaccinated in 10 days, 2 Crore in 30 days and 95% in 40 days,” Banerjee tweeted.

She further said that there have been several innovations, including in data management. “A case study of a successful campaign will be presented tomorrow at an international conference in New Delhi in the presence of national and international experts, including those from WHO & UNICEF HQ. Kudos to my health colleagues!” the Chief Minister added.

The vaccination programme against measles and rubella virus was conducted in state government and private schools across all districts of Bengal.

In Kolkata, it began in January. The two vaccines were given to school children up to the age of 15 years from January this year. In order to create an awareness, the authorities held meetings with the parents. These two vaccines were administered to students from classes I to X free of cost.

After seeing the success of the programme, the state health department extended the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination drive till February 21 in four municipal corporations — Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) and areas under North and South 24-Parganas where the coverage has remained poor.