After Diphtheria Deaths, Kerala Launches Vaccination Drive

• A worrying re-emergence of diphtheria in Malappuram district of kerala, is putting at risk considerable swathes of its population.
• Atleast two children died of Diphtheria this year. Over a dozen Malappuram children are now under observation for suspected diphtheria.
• Anti-vaccination propaganda by some orthodox religious groups and also those who oppose Allopathic medicine have been blamed for so many children missing the vaccine. As of now no religious organisation has issued an anti-vaccination campaign but there are few individual religious teachers that are still indulging in this
• A counter campaign by the dominant political party in that region, and a member of the ruling United Democratic Front, Indian Union Muslim League along with well-known religious leaders has begun to convince the parents in favour of vaccinations.
• A 10-day special vaccination campaign by the government is now being planned in October to cover all children between 6 and 17 years who were earlier missed out.

Facts and figures (FnF)

• According to government estimates, more than 23,000 children have not been immunized.
• That apart, official data also says more than one out of every three children aged between 5 and 10 – or a whopping 36 per cent – growing up in the district never had any immunisation.
• That leaves them vulnerable to everything from tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis-B, meningitis, measles, and polio myelitis. It is not that they had no access to immunisation. Too many of them were deliberately denied immunisation by their own parents or kin.
• Two locally powerful and orthodox groups have been traditionally leading a stiff resistance to immunisation.
• These include a large section of families owing allegiance to the Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliar, and families of hard core Jama’at-e-Islami followers.