MALAPPURAM: A team from World Health Organisation (WHO) has visited various parts of Malappuram district to review the progress of immunisation programmes, especially the anti-diphtheria vaccination. The team led by WHO’s senior epidemiologist Dr Christy Elizabeth and two doctors from Delhi and Chennai, which completed a three-day visit on Thursday, would report the progress of the programme in the district to the government. “The team has expressed satisfaction on the improvement in various immunisation programmes,” said Dr R. Renuka, the district reproductive child health officer.
The team mainly reviewed the status of measures by the district medical authorities for the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases that have posed a big threat to the public health in Malappuram, where resistance to the vaccination programmes is rampant. The team also examined the immunisation data available with the district medical department and private hospitals. They have also found minor snags in timely reporting and data keeping. On Wednesday, the team had visited the some of the tribal settlements in the district including a Cholanaikka colony in the Nilambur forest. District medical authorities said 91 percent of children aged 0-5 have got vaccinated against the target of 95 percent.
