Medical officers to oversee vaccination in TN

Chennai, Apr 28 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Government has decided to involve medical officers while administering vaccines to children, following the tragic death of four infants after they were given measles vaccine in Thiruvallur district on April 23.

Public Health and Preventive Medicine Director Dr P Padmanabhan dismissed as false, reports that village nurses have been banned from administering vaccines following the incident. The nurses continued to be involved in the vaccine programme, but under the direct supervision of medical officers.

Henceforth, the village nurses would administer the vaccines to children under the direct supervision of a doctor at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the State, he told UNI.

Vaccination was done in the State on Wednesdays. On April 30, the PHCs would present a different picture. Besides medical officers, ambulances would also be kept ready there.

It had also been decided to give post-vaccination care to the children and they would be asked to remain at the PHCs for at least an hour, official sources said.

As there would be some sense of fear among the mothers, especially in rural areas, the response to the vaccination programme on April 30 remained to be seen.

Expecting that mothers would be hesitant to visit PHCs for vaccination, the authorities have decided to instil confidence in them about the safety of vaccination.

UNI WS GL KP1850