PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
To eliminate highly infectious diseases such as measles and rubella in Uttarakhand, National Health Mission (NHM) Mission Director, Swati S Bhadauria informed that from July 2025, special measles and rubella (MR) vaccination weeks will be organised across the State for a duration of three months. This announcement was made during a state task force meeting of the Health Department held here on Wednesday.
Bhadauria stated that the State government is committed to achieving this objective within the specified timeline. She emphasised that both measles and rubella are viral diseases that particularly affect children and can cause severe complications like pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and even death. In pregnant women, these diseases can lead to serious issues such as foetal deformities and miscarriages. Therefore, their elimination is crucial for global public health.
In this effort, Uttarakhand has set a target of achieving 95 per cent or higher vaccination coverage to develop community immunity. Bhadauria further informed that the vaccination sessions will be monitored through the U-Win portal. If any vaccination session is not organised for any reason, the underlying causes will be reviewed and necessary corrective measures will be implemented.
She also directed the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) and District Immunization Officers of all districts to place special emphasis on the regular review of vaccination sessions in their areas, conduct public awareness activities, and organise the sessions effectively.
Notably, key points discussed in the meeting included ensuring the active identification, laboratory confirmation and timely reporting of measles and rubella cases through Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) surveillance, as well as strengthening the rapid and effective response mechanisms in the event of an outbreak.
