By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 2, 2017: Odisha has emerged as a lead performer in immunization coverage of children and pregnant women in the country.

Full immunization coverage in the state was around 79% against the national average of 62% as per National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS4) of 2015-16. The coverage further shot up to around 84% in the Integrated Child Health & Immunization Survey (INCHIS) of 2016, officials said.

Reviewing the progress in immunisation in the state at a high level review meeting recently, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi directed the health and family welfare department to ensure 100% immunization coverage of all children and pregnant women on head count basis in the districts where IMR and MMR rate was found high. Padhi also directed the department to expedite the primary health care network programme in all Urban Local bodies.

It was decided at the meeting to undertake the activities under Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) in Ganjam district and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation because of comparatively less immunization coverage in these areas. Chief Secretary also directed to expedite Head Count Survey in all blocks of Ganjam districts and Bhubaneswar Municipality for identification of the children and pregnant women who missed one or other immunization out of the total package of full immunization.

Interestingly, besides Kerala Odisha is the only State where only one district and one ULB have been taken up under the Mission.

IMI has been designed as a special national strategy to achieve more than 90% of full immunization coverage by the year 2020. The target group of the Mission is 0-2 years of children and all pregnant women. It envisages sustaining the achievement beyond 2020 through regular routine immunization programmes.

Odisha is among lead performing States in Pulse Polio immunization campaign launched in 1995, Hepatitis-B programme implemented in 2011, Pentavalent vaccination and Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) programme in 2015 and Injectable Polio Immunization drive introduced in 2016. It was decided to start Missile Rubella (MR) campaign from January, 2018 in the State.