Mass measles-rubella campaign to begin in February
Kathmandu, December 17
The government is set to launch measles-rubella mass immunisation campaign in two phases. The first phase of immunisaiton campaign will begin from February 13 in 34 districts of Provinces 1, 2 and 5. The second phase of immunisation will take place from March 14 in 43 districts in Province 3, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces, according to Dr Jhalak Gautam, chief of Children and Immunisation Service, Family Health Division under the Department of Health Services.
Speaking amidst a press conference held today Dr Gautam said, "The campaign has been started to eliminate measles-rubella from the country.” For the elimination of measles and rubella the vaccine coverage should be 95 per cent.
According to Nepal Demographic Health Survey 2016 percentage of children aged 12 to 23 months old who received all basic vaccines fell to 78 per cent in 2016 from 87 per cent in 2011.
A total of thirty lakhs children aged between nine months and five years old are expected to get the vaccination. The government has been running 16,000 immunisation centres across the country.
Measles can cause serious complications such as blindness, encephalitis, severe diarrhoea, ear infection and pneumonia while rubella causes irreversible birth defects.
