Tetanus and diphtheria vaccination campaign launched in Assam

CORRESPONDENTS

TINSUKIA: Along with other districts of Assam, the weeklong TD (Tetanus & Diphtheria) vaccination campaign was launched in Tinsukia on Monday. The programme was ceremoniously inaugurated by Dr Altaf Ahmed, Joint Director of Health Services, Assam in the presence of DrRomenSonowal, Additional CM&HO, Tinsukia, and Noor Islam Haque, District Programme Manager, NHM Tinsukia and other health officials.

Addressing the gathering of ASHAs and ANMs of urban Tinsukia, Dr Ahmed said that immunization being one of the safest and most effective methods of preventing childhood diseases, significant achievements had been made in preventing and controlling the Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Immunization has to be sustained as high priority to further reduce the incidence of all VPDs, control measles, eliminate tetanus and eradicate poliomyelitis.

In a brief orientation and training session, Additional CM&HO, Tinsukia, Dr Sonowal said that Tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine was a combination of tetanus and diphtheria with lower concentration of diphtheria antigen (d) as recommended for older children and adults. Td vaccine will be supplied by the Government of India as is done for other vaccines under Universal Immunization Programme, he added.

MANGALDAI: Deputy Commissioner of Darrang, Dilip Kumar Borah on Monday urged upon all the stakeholders and the community, including the guardians of the children in the two age groups of 10-11 and 16-17 years, to come forward to make the Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccination programme in the aspirational district of Darrang a successful one.

"Unlike our days when vaccinations were very painful and children would panic, these modern vaccines are totally painless and there is hardly any possibility of any adverse effect. There is no cause of worry and panic," said Deputy Commissioner Borah while ceremonially launching the vaccination campaign at a public function held on Monday here at Youth Club.

The Deputy Commissioner also hoped that not a single targeted beneficiary would be left out in the campaign which will go on for the next 20 days aiming to cover estimated beneficiaries of nearly 40,000. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner lit the ceremonial lamp to mark its launching. Speaking on the occasion, Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer DrNirmal Kumar Beria said, "This vaccine is not new for the targeted children. They have already experienced its fresh doses as a part of routine immunization since birth and now it is to be administered only as booster doses keeping in mind the possible recurrence after five years interval. The programme has to conducted in campaign mode only because of the COVID induced situation adversely affecting the normal programme."

The inaugural function which ended with the vote of thanks from DrAshini Kumar Dhing, District Immunization Officer, was also attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner Kumar Surajit Borah, and Joint Director of Health, Darrang, Dr Rup LalNunisa, among others. The inaugural function was followed by a media sensitization programme where role of media in the successful conduct of the programme, including sensible reporting at the time of any case of Adverse Effect Following Immunization (AEFI), was discussed.

BARPETA: Along with the rest of the State, in Barpeta district also the TD (Tetanus & Diphtheria) vaccination campaign was launched from Monday.

This campaign was formally inaugurated by the Deputy Commissioner of Barpeta, MunindraSarma in the office of the Joint Director of Health Services. In his address, the Deputy Commissioner of Barpeta stated that this vaccination would safeguard the children from diseases like tetanus and diphtheria.

The Joint Director of Health Services, Barpeta district, Dr. TirthanathSarma said that the department had received positive response from the people regarding this vaccine. The district administration has targeted around 95,000 children (10 to 16 years) in this regard. In this programme, the Additional Chief Health Officer DrPramatheshSarma stated that the tetanus plus (TD) vaccination had been started in various schools and public places in the entire district from Monday free of cost.

In this programme, Dr HA Ahmed, District Chief Medical and Health Officer, Barpeta, Dr Rajib Borbora, Vaccination officer, Dr. Pranjal Tamuli, Observer, WHO, and Bikash Sarma, DIPRO, Barpeta were also present.

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