Rotary’s Role in Rubella & Measles
Rotarians of India, helped create a history 7 yrs back. A large, highly populated, diverse country like ours is polio free, since Jan 2011 – a monumental achievement. This incredible success was due to a seamless partnership of Govt. of India, WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Rotary Foundation, Gates Foundation. Each of these partners excelled in their allotted role.
Rotarians of India, are proud of what we have achieved but let me remind you, India is polio free but not the World. Polio Virus, which knows no national boundaries, is active in neighboring countries.
Thus we can not remain complecent. We have to continue to work hard – perhaps even harder to maintain our status as polio free country.
What do we have to do to keep ourselves safe? Recollect the four pillars of polio eradication? The first is National and Sub national Immunization days. We have to continue to play the same active role in NID & SNID.
The second is outbreak response. Govt. of India is well geared up for this. Third is Surveillance of a possible case of polio. WHO has set up a very good system of reporting a case of AFP.
Thus out of the 4 pillars, these 3 pillars are well established & functioning well. But what about the fourth and the most important pillar ? Routine Immunization. All these years, we seem to have not given the importance to this pivotal pillar. Routine Immunization, has however become the most important way of not only keeping our children free from Polio, but also from other diseases which affect children very commonly.
If every child gets polio vaccine in RI (Routine Immunization) a time will come when NID & SNID will not be necessary. Since last April (2017) the triple polio vaccine is replaced by bivalent polio vaccine – This vaccine which has been developed in India – has only P1 & P3 type of virus vaccine. P2 is permanently eliminated from World since 1999. Govt. of India has already introduced injectable polio vaccine to minimize the incidences of vDPV.
The problem however lies in the RI coverage in India. The average was just 68 % till last year. Compare this with SriLanka, Bhutan, BanglaDesh, Nepal where the RI coverage is 90 % and above. Last year, Govt. of India launched a special program called Mission Indradhanush to increase the RI coverage.This was followed by a clarian call by Prime Minister ShriNarendraji Modi to raise the coverage to 90 % by the end of 2018.
Today, the average coverage has increased to 84 percent. Rotary is an official partner of Govt. of India in increasing and then sustaining the coverage of RI throughout India.
Friends, so now our prime duty is to create awareness of Routine Immunization. There are several areas in Urban India where there is a lack of awareness, fear of injection and scare of reaction to RI.
Yes, RI includes not just polio but 7 other vaccines most of which have to be given by injection and does cause transient low fever or rash for a day or so.
Increasing the Routine Immunization coverage will not only keep India Polio Free but also has a potential to eliminate Tetanus, Rubella, Measles etc. ‘Rotary India’, has taken up another monumental work.
We will, in the years to come not only keep India Polio Free – which remains the first and the only mission of Rotary International but we will also eliminate other diseases from India.
Friends, needless to say that now we have three major goals to be achieved by 2020
A) Routine Immunization System & services are strengthen
B) Measles is eliminated and Rubella controlled
C) Polio Free status maintained
Measles causes fever, dry cough, rash in children. A few children can land up in complication and even cause death.
Over 2.7 million children die of measles every year in the world. Rubella is also contagious disease and can cause Abortion. It can cause Blindness & Heart defects in a new born if mother is affected. It is estimated that 40000 children are born every year with Rubella complication.
Vaccination can prevent this major problem. If MR vaccine (Measles and Rubella) is given only two times to children before the age of 2 yrs, these diseases can be conquered. Already, India is on the threshold of bringing these diseases under control. WHO thinks that if the Routine Immunization, which includes MR vaccine, coverage is scaled up to 95 % in all the districts in India, it is possible to eradicate measles and bring down the rate of Rubella to a managable level.
It’s a dream for India and let me assure that this dream will come to a reality. Already SriLanka, Maldives, Bhutan havecontrolled these diseases. We can do that too. All we need is a will to do so.
Years of work on polio has brought some major benefits. Our health sector, human resource is trained and can easily be redeployed for injectable vaccines.
Our infrastructure such as cold chain, transport is in place allover India and the immense experience that we have gathered will stand us in the test of time.
Govt. & WHO, have the knowledge of high risk and vulnerable areas. Each and every child in our country gets identified and record of routine immunization is well maintained. Areas of resistance to immunization, areas of low immunization coverage, are well documented. Amitabh Bacchan is a Brand Ambasador for RI & Govt.s tag line is ‘7 times in 5 yrs’ i.e. up to the age of 5 yrs, the child has to be taken to health centre for vaccination only 7 times.
Thus my Rotarian Friends, Rubella & Measles can be and will be eradicated but Govt. of India needs our support. Your uncanny knack of creating awareness, minimize resistance, proactive actions and above all selfless volunterism is unparallel.
Let us join hands with Govt. to create a history – yet another historical achievement awaits us. What is needed your commitment – your hands and your heart. Rotary India has given us a clarian call and let us all do the miracle. A few Urdu Couplets to be added in between.