Baliguda: Health officials engaged in the vaccination drive were in for a shock after several students of a primary school and an Anganwadi centre at Bataguda village under this block avoided coming to school fearing vaccination, a report said Tuesday.
As many as 12 out of 45 students of the primary school and four out of 45 children of the Anganwadi centre inside the Bataguda Puruna Sahi UP School were present in their classes when health workers reached the school to administer the vaccines Tuesday.
The team members immediately informed the block development officer (BDO) Madhusudan Behera in Baliguda about the low turnout of students in the school and the Anganwadi centre.
On being informed, Behera rushed to the spot and asked the headmistress about the reason for the low turnout of students for the vaccination programme.
Behera moved from door to door in the village and tried to convince the guardians about the benefits of vaccines. The guardians revealed that they did not send their wards to schools in fear of being administered with the vaccines as it will result in their illness and mar their future.
The BDO then tried to persuade the guardians stating that a single vaccine could save their children from two dreaded disease like measles and rubella which would safeguard their future.
The vaccination programme is being carried out all over the country under which children aged between nine and 15 are administered with vaccines, he said. He called the parents to throw off the fear and send the children to school without hesitation so that they could be given the vaccines by the health personnel.
Later, many of the guardians allowed their children to go to the school and take vaccines. However, there were some guardians who did not allow their children to school. The students who arrived in the school were first treated with midday meals and then given vaccines.
Baliguda ABDO Prafulla Kanhar, Bataguda sarpanch Menaka Mallick accompanied the BDO during his visits to guardians. Health workers Satyajit Mandal and Saraojini Behera administered the vaccines to 31 out of 45 students in the school and 29 out of 80 in Anganwadi centre. PNN