http://indiabroad.rediff.com/news/2002/jan/21assam.htm
G Vinayak in Guwahati
Alarmed by the poor response to the first phase of pulse polio immunisation
drive held on Sunday, the Assam government has decided to undertake a special
two-day door-to-door drive to administer the polio vaccine to as many children
as possible.
Although 4.2 million children were targeted by the state's health department
under the first phase of vaccination held across the state on Sunday, less than
50 per cent of the children turned up as parents feared a repeat of the
November 11 tragedy when 23 children died soon after being administered Vitamin
A drops.
According to the state director of health and family welfare, Dr SN
Thakuria, only 50 per cent of the children in rural areas and about 36 per cent
in the urban centres could be given the polio drops on Sunday.
"It is unfortunate, but true that many impoverished parents are
apprehensive about their children's health after witnessing what happened
during the Vitamin A campaign," Dr Gokul Sarma, a leading paediatrician in
Guwahati, said.
Neither the UNICEF nor the Assam government accepted the responsibility for
the death of 23 children in November 2001, although the Assam Human Rights
Commission has indicted the state government for negligence in running the
campaign and has recommended payment of compensation to the parents of the
victims.
Health experts now fear that the target of eradicating polio in the country
by 2003 might suffer a setback since the success of such mass campaigns depend
upon wider coverage.
"Even if a couple of thousand children are left out of the drive, the
wild virus may remain within the community leading to polio cases in the
future," an UNICEF official said on condition of anonymity.
The door-to-door survey planned for Tuesday may increase the coverage by
another 20 to 30 per cent, but that is not enough to meet the targets, health
officials said.
The second round pulse polio vaccination is slated for February 14, but
given the apprehensions in the minds of the people, it is unlikely that many
more parents will come out in larger numbers, health officials said.
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