Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Launches Immunisation Drive ‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0’

Chandigarh: Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh on Monday (September 11) launched the “intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0” (IMI 5.0), aimed at overcoming barriers including hesitancy, myths and taboos related to vaccination, an official statement said. The event highlighted the importance of vaccinating eligible children to strengthen their immunity, it said. Speaking at the event in Mohali, Mr. Singh said as part of IMI 5.0, the health department will focus on overcoming the issues that hindered vaccination coverage and also cover the population that was left out of routine immunisation efforts.

Also Read: Nagaland, Tamil Nadu And Assam Launch ‘Mission Indradhanush 5.0’, To Immunise Pregnant Women And Children 

The state has conducted comprehensive training at various levels to emphasise the importance of reaching out to those, who have not been vaccinated or are only partially vaccinated and incorporating them into the immunisation programme. He said,

Punjab Health Department has planned 6,156 sessions to target 60,670 children (0-5 years) and 10,163 pregnant women.

He also emphasised that this campaign prioritises children aged between 0 to 5 years who have not received any vaccines, with the ultimate goal of providing life-saving vaccinations to all eligible children. He added,

Additionally, it represents a significant step towards nationwide Measles and Rubella elimination, ensuring that every child under 5 years completes the crucial two-dose schedule of Measles and Rubella Containing Vaccine (MRCV).

Also Read: WHO Recommends Groundbreaking Malaria Vaccine For Children At Risk

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.