The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Panel backs revised immunisation strategy

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Saturday, Aug 09, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Panel backs revised immunisation strategy

Ramya Kannan

Insists on vaccination under supervision of medical officer

“Safety vaccine protocols must be strictly followed”
“Vaccine logistics should be computerised at every level”

CHENNAI: A high-level Technical Committee on Immunisation has recommended that the revised immunisation strategy of bringing mothers and children to Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and government hospitals for vaccination be continued.

The government accepted the recommendations and recently issued a government order ratifying the points raised by the committee.

The 26-member committee, chaired by Director of Public Health S. Elango and comprising the Director of the Institute of Child Health, other paediatricians, NGO representatives, public health experts and village health nurses, submitted their recommendations after prolonged deliberations.

In addition to rooting for the revised immunisation strategy, which it believes is more effective, the committee has insisted that vaccination be carried out under the supervision of a medical officer.

Outreach services

It has urged the government not to restrict immunisation to a single day. Apart from routine immunisation on Wednesday, Tuesday will also be a designated immunisation day. Outreach services, mobile clinics supervised by an MO must also be provided to the unreachable areas. All PHCs should therefore be provided vehicle support and mobile services, the committee has recommended.

One of the main points made by the committee members was that safety vaccine protocols must be strictly followed, and vaccine logistics should be computerised at every level.

This would provide details such as the manufacturing date of the vaccine, place of storage, duration of storage, and the right mix, at a click of the mouse, Dr. Elango told The Hindu.

Strengthening of the cold chain system – walk-in-coolers and walk-in-freezers – throughout the State and seeking the involvement of the Integrated Child Development Services personnel and municipal administration were the other recommendations.

Tamil Nadu decided to revise its vaccination strategy of providing outreach services and delivering vaccines in the health sub-centre level following the deaths of four children, who received measles vaccine shots in April.

Objections

Objections to this were articulated from different segments of society, on the grounds that the vaccination coverage would reduce drastically and that the State would soon have to contend with infections that were controlled or eradicated because of effective vaccination strategy.

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