Patna: In the first such initiative in the country, the state health department would remind parents of children up to five years of age to get their kids vaccinated on due dates through text messages on cellphones.
The service is estimated to benefit about 2.5 to 3 crore children in Bihar. The government is in talks with two telecom majors for a tie-up with either of them for the scheme that is likely to be launched early next year.
“Routine immunisation coverage is critical for children to have adequate immunity against polio and other childhood diseases. A child needs various doses of life-saving diphtheria, tetanus and polio (DPT) oral polio vaccination (OPV) from birth to five years of age. We have seen that while most of the children get zero-round vaccine at the time of birth, they do not get subsequent doses. It is a major cause of worry and hence, there is the need to remind and to urge the parents to come to anganwadi centres or nearest primary health centres to get all vaccine doses to their children,†said a senior official in the health department.
The official further said: “Under the initiative, we would prepare a database of all people whose children fall in the age group of 0-6 years. We would also prepare the list of the due dates for their children to get DPT and OPV doses. We would start sending them text messages days in advance reminding them to visit the nearest health centre with their children. As almost 80 per cent of the people in Bihar and even rural areas have access to cellphones now, we hope this would ensure that most of them get the information and respond. Even if a fraction of them come over to the health centres following the initiative, it would be a big achievement.â€
Experts said that under the government’s universal immunisation programme (UIP) of the children, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and OPV vaccines are given at the time of birth and the first dose of DPT and the second dose of OPV at four weeks of age. At six weeks’ age, they are administered the second dose of DPT and the third dose of OPC and after completing 10 weeks, they are given the third dose of DPT and OPV. They are again administered DPT and OPV at 14 weeks. Once they complete nine months, children are also administered measles vaccine. One-and-half-year-old children are administered the first booster dose of DPT and OPV. Between four and five years, they need the second booster dose of DPT and yet another OPV.
Sources said that the scheme would cost Rs 2.5-3 crore to reach out to about 1-1.5 crore cellphones. The government is at present in talks with BSNL and Airtel for the scheme. It would be soon finalised which one of them would collaborate with the government for the purpose, said a source.
According a recent report by Unicef, Bihar has witnessed a 400 per cent jump in full immunisation coverage over the past five years. “Even with this impressive gain, only slightly more than 49 per cent of children are fully immunised compared to 61 per cent throughout India,†the report points out, highlighting the poor immunisation coverage in the state.
The study also says that the state contributes to 13 per cent of the 9.3 million unimmunised children in India.
Paediatrics, meanwhile, said that if implemented, it would be wonderful idea. Said Arun Thakur, the head of the paediatrics department at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital: “The initiative would certainly draw a lot of parents to the health centres if they are reminded of the due dates for vaccination of their children and about its importance.â€