As many as 6,520 children were vaccinated on the last day of the campaign on Saturday. more-in KOCHI: Even as the intensive campaign for Measles-Rubella vaccination ended on Saturday, the district health authorities will take a call on conducting further vaccination camps in schools after a review and consultation with school authorities that have fallen behind in providing 100% immunity coverage against the disease. These shortfalls had been due to the let-up during the drive, thanks to anti-vaccine campaigns. It was only after the authorities spelt out an action plan to counter the social media campaign against MR vaccination that the district managed to catch up with a reasonable achievement of 85.89% coverage. On the last day of the campaign on Saturday, as many as 6,520 children were vaccinated, taking the total number of vaccinated children to 5,80,714. On Monday, vaccination camps will continue in hospitals and outreach centres. The MR vaccine campaign was launched by the government as part of the national immunisation programme. The drive included giving vaccination to all children in the age group of nine months to 15 years. Vaccines are meant for protecting children from the fatal complications of measles and saving foetus from developing abnormalities in case of a rubella attack in expecting mothers. The vaccination is effective for a lifetime. A number of voluntary agencies had joined hands with the district health authorities in the campaign. A consortium of agencies led by the district administration, the Indian Medical Association, and private hospitals had also been formed as part of Unite for Healthy Ernakulam campaign for eradicating preventable diseases by 2020 and to inculcate healthy habits.

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