Hyderabad: An average of 50 per cent infants in metro cities and urban areas are not immunised as parents forget or postpone their immunisation due to their work schedules. This has been found as the World Health Organisation in its recent estimates of 2016 has found that it is stagnant at 86 per cent from 2010. The target set by WHO was 90 per cent but it has not been achieved due to which they are closely looking at countries and asking them to meet the maximum target to save children from preventive diseases.
Preventive diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles can be controlled if immunisation schedules are followed according to its timetable.
Dr Sharmila Khaza, consultant paediatrician, said, “Immunisation rates are on an average 50 per cent in India. Children are partly immunised or not immunised at all. Commonest reason in urban areas is parents forgeting the date of vaccination, postponing it due to their working hours, inconvenience to take leave and worried about side effects.
Booster shots are missed by parents very regularly as it is at a span or five to 10 years. Only when they come to the hospital for ailments and are asked about booster doses do they remember that they have been missed.”
Importance of immunisation and how it protects against diseases is still low in India. While the government aided programmes have successfully helped in immunisation of polio for other immunisation schedules there is a need for parents to be pro-active and follow the schedule. There are charts with dates given by mother and child centres. Counselling is done but the responsibility lies with the parents who must ensure that the dates are followed.
Dr M Farhan, senior paediatrician explained, “About 98 per cent of the diseases in children below five years can be controlled if proper immunisation schedules are followed. The importance of immunisation is still being neglected and that is the prime reason the targets are not being achieved.”
