Nadda administers rotavirus vaccine on Tanushree in Bhubaneswar as health minister Atanu Sabyasachi looks on.
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Bhubaneswar: Tanushree Jena, an infant from Orissa became the first child to receive rotavirus vaccine when Union health minister JP Nadda administered it to mark the national launch of the vaccine here Saturday.
With the launch of the oral anti-viral vaccine under the national universal immunization programme, the vaccine which would be used to fight diarrhoea cases as the vaccine will now be available across all government hospitals in four states— Orissa, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
During the launch, Nadda said, “Every year 27 million kids are born in India and it is our duty to protect them. Nearly 80,000 kids die per year due to rotavirus diarrhoea while 10 lakh kids are hospitalised due to this.”
“The cost-effective vaccine made indigenously will prevent many families from spending on such recurrent diseases. Hereafter, the vaccine administration will be rolled out to other states,’’ he said.
Commenting on the overall health indicators of the state, Nadda said the high infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Orissa is worrisome. But the state has tackled the situation effectively.
During his 21-minute speech, Nadda also assured the state government of all possible support to the health programmes and health education in the state. “Finance will never be an issue for the state to worry about. We have sanctioned `80 crore for five new medical colleges in the state,” he added.
State health minister Atanu Sabysachi Nayak thanked the Centre for choosing Orissa for the national launch of the vaccine. ‘‘In order to tackle high IMR and MMR cases, we have sanctioned `50 crore last budget to specifically target IMR and MMR. In this fiscal too, we have sanctioned funds for this. But on many fronts we need the collaborative effort of the Centre in the health sector.”
