As the countrywide campaigns against the communicable diseases are going on, Chief of the District Public Health Office Chandradev Mahato on Tuesday said that 15 percent of children are still out the reach of the vaccinations. Children from nine months to five years are vaccinated against the measles and rubella during the campaigns organized in every four years."As the campaign is run in four years, it has posed problems in eliminating the diseases when some children miss the vaccinations," he said speaking at press meet in Jhapa. He added that the government has targeted to eliminate measles by 2020 but the target remains questionable considering the present vaccination ratio.
Under the campaign, children in Jhapa would be receiving the vaccination within this week. During the press meet, chief immunization officer Ishwori Poudel informed that the immunization program would be launched in all VDCs and municipalities of the district. "Around 40,000 children will be vaccinated," he said adding that the first phase of the campaign is already over though campaign data on it is yet to come. He further informed that 700 female volunteers and 300 trained health workers have been deployed in the district for the campaign.
Though measles is seen in any age group, children under five years of age are more prone to it. Patient suffers from fever, running nose and itching in body parts, among others, when under attack of the virus. According to Poudel, the disease is dangerous due to high communicability. "When a measles patient sneezes, people around could be infected with the virus. A pregnant woman can transfer it to baby," he said. He stressed that effective immunization of each and every child is the only way to eliminate the disease.
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