Berhampur: The Chief Health Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Ganjam district, Dr Bijaya Kumar Panigrahi, launched a vaccination programme against tetanus and diphtheria (TD) at Berhampur City Hospital premises, Wednesday.
Earlier, pregnant women and children were being given Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccines. However, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) of the Union Health & Family Welfare Ministry has issued directives for TD vaccination instead of TT.
Already, 133 other countries have adopted the TD vaccination. Despite giving TT vaccines to the children earlier, diphtheria had been found among them. As more and more children were found affected by diphtheria, it was decided to adopt the TD vaccination from this year onwards.
Pregnant women will be vaccinated against tetanus and diphtheria in three phases: 1. at the preliminary stage of conception; 2. after four weeks of conception; 3. if she conceives again, three years after the previous conception.
Similarly, children in the age bracket of 10-16 years will be vaccinated against tetanus and diphtheria. According to sources, nearly 59,368 pregnant women, 58,342 children of 10 years of age and 59,503 children of 16 years of age (altogether 177,213) have been targeted for vaccination.
In this connection, the Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers, health workers and medical officers have been trained for the purpose.
Dr. Panigrahi said that, the supply of vaccines has already started and the programme would continue throughout the district in phases.
ADPHO (Family Welfare) Dr. V. Sarojini Devi; Superintendent of City Hospital Dr. P. Kurmeya; Professor of Community Medicine Dr. Durga Prasad Satpathy; head of Postpartum and Vaccination Centre Dr. Sitanshu Satpathy; Manager of Gynaecology and Obstetrics Shakti Kumar Digal, were among those present at the special event.
PNN
