Diphtheria: School kids to get vaccinated from Nov 5

The State health department has instructed all the Deputy Directors of Health Services to strictly adhere to the guidelines issued and take necessary action for the successful conduct of the immunisation drive. The Deputy Directors of Health Services and other second-level officers have been asked to supervise the campaign for effective coverage. 

The senior officials from the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine said there has been an increase in diphtheria cases and vaccination for schoolchildren is significant in bringing down the numbers. 

All village and urban health nurses, Anganwadi workers and school teachers will be deployed for making the vaccination programme a success. The routine immunisation will be observed every week on Thursdays and Fridays and is expected to be completed on or before December 31. 

TD (Tetanus-Diphtheria) vaccination for 16 years, DPT vaccination for 5 to 6 years and TD vaccination for Class 10 students will be part of the drive. The vaccination for dropouts and those not enrolled in school will be done through direct outreach. 

While the DPH officials have been instructed to calculate the dose requirements, logistics and plan the vaccination sites, the parents will also be informed about the vaccination in advance. The district-level officials have also been asked to keep a track of the adverse effects post vaccination.