Pune: The Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Maharashtra chapter has extended full support to the recent measles-rubella (MR) vaccination drive initiated by the Central government. They have further urged parents not to believe any rumours or fake posts that are circulated on the social media regarding the reactions due to MR vaccine. The aim of the vaccination campaign is to make Indian children free from the dreadful effects of measles and rubella.
Speaking about measles, Dr Hozia Kapadia, President of the IMA Maharashtra chapter, said that if a child gets infected by measles, it may lead to multiple problems like ‘blindness, croup, mouth ulcers, ear infections, or severe diarrhoea’. “Some children develop encephalitis, that is, swelling of the brain, which can lead to convulsions, loss of hearing and mental retardation,” said Kapadia. She further added that rubella can cause serious problems, including brain infections and bleeding problems.
“Rubella is most dangerous for a pregnant woman’s developing baby, as they may undergo recurrent abortions in the first trimester. The congenital anomalies and the defects are common in the children of the mothers who are infected by rubella in the past,” said Kapadia.
Dr Suhas Pingle, State Secretary, IMA said, “Even if a child has received the vaccination during the routine immunisation in his childhood, there is absolutely no harm in taking the vaccine during this campaign.”
“This campaign is a sincere attempt to elevate the health level of India as per the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and not a political campaign as per some malicious rumours spread by certain factions. Before the campaign, all the health workers, staff, nurses and the doctors were given proper training which included every aspect of the vaccination, including public awareness, consent of parents, vaccination techniques, pre-and post-vaccination care of children,” said Pingle.
Targeted age group
The vaccination is meant for the children from 9 months to 15 years of age. All the 210 branches of IMA, Maharashtra and their 43,090 members have been working as the partners in this campaigns.
Vaccine safe: IMA State secy
Dr Suhas Pingle, State secretary, IMA, said that there is unnecessary antagonism by certain doctors and social organisations and some baseless rumours are being spread by these factions. “In this regard, we would like to point out certain facts and guidelines for the community. The MR vaccination is essential and safe. There are no serious reactions to the vaccine. A child may get fever, swelling at the injection site in rare cases, which are less than five per cent. All the claims of the reactions are unscientific. If a child feels dizziness, nausea, or even gets a fainting episode, it is mainly because of the fear for the injection. Also, these symptoms are not serious or life-threatening,” said Pingle.
