State polio-free, continuous vigil essential: Dr Memcha
Source: Chronicle News Service / Sonia Sorensangbam

Imphal, November 28 2024: While India became polio free in 2012, her neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to report new polio cases.

In such a situation, routine campaign under the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) is being carried out in the country, particularly in the state, said Manipur state immunisation officer (SIO) Dr Ksh Memcha.

In a tete-a-tete with The People's Chronicle regarding polio cases, if any, in Manipur and preventive measures taken up for the same, Dr Memcha said that since there are reports of rising polio cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, routine immunisation under the NIP is being carried out to prevent emergence of new cases in the country and state.

Informing that children between 0-5 years are being administered three dosages at 1.5 month, 2.5 months and 3.5 months, she said that apart from polio drops, inject-able polio vaccine is being administered, allowing Manipur to maintain its polio free status.

On top of the routine immunisation, the Pulse Polio Immunisation programme is conducted every February.

However, this programme is unrelated to the dosage administered to children (0-5 years) during routine immunisation, as the former is about giving extra dosage to every child, said the SIO.

Further stating that booths are set up at every locality along with conduct of door-to-door administration of the vaccine to ensure all the children are covered, Dr Memcha explained that the immunisation provides protection against 12 diseases in children (0-12 years) including Tetanus, Hepatitis, Rotavirus, pneumonia, influenza and others, inoculated in a phase-by-phase manner.

Apart from this, Td vaccine is administered to pregnant women and to babies at delivery point.

Hepatitis B, BCG and oral polio is also administered.

However, Hepatitis B vaccine must be administered within 24 hours.

If the dosage is missed, then there is almost zero benefit to getting the dose again, she cautioned.

The immunisation programme begins from the sub-centre to the districts and government hospitals like RIMS and JNIMS.

Aside from this, it is also conducted as an outreach session.

A fully immunised child is one who has received the mandated inoculations from 9-12 months.

The percentage of fully immunised children was around 50 per cent in October last, while the target was for 90 per cent.

Owing to the prevailing unrest situation, the fractional IPB for polio and Measles Rubella vaccines were delayed for half-a-month.

However, the vaccines would be brought soon and distributed, thereby helping to meet the dosages left behind, she conveyed, adding that there is no need to panic in this regard.

Stating that the focus of 'Prevention is better than Cure' is on 'Vaccine Preventable Disease', Dr Ksh Memcha said that the biggest success of public health is immunisation, which helps in lowering the infant mortality rate and as such, will be continued as proper immunisation during childhood could help prevent serious disease as one ages.

At present, vaccines for typhoid and cervical cancer will be made available and a project in this regard would soon be launched in Manipur, she informed.

The NIO continued that polio is a highly contagious viral disease, which could easily pick up from a highly endemic country.

For this, relevant documents need to be presented before travelling and unimmunised children inoculated under Mission Indradhanush (Ml) Programme.

Thus, she urged parents and guardians to bring their unimmunised children to the nearest health centres and get inoculated for free.

Dr Ksh Memcha then credited increasing awareness amongst the masses about immunisation to government, ASHA and Anganwadi workers.

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