Over 11,000 vaccinated against Hepatitis-B

[sajiv]

Over 11,000 vaccinated against Hepatitis-B 

VELLORE: About 1.23 lakh persons were contacted and made aware of the need for Hepatitis-B (H-B) immunisation and 11,752 vaccinated under the AHBAAS (A Hepatitis-B Awareness And Safety Initiative) Project implemented by the Christian Medical Hospital, Vellore. It was implemented in association with seven other mission hospitals all over the country in the last one year with funds of $17,000 provided by the U.S.-based Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF), according to George M. Chandy, Project Director of the Department of Gastroenterology of CMC Hospital.

Addressing newspersons along with Phangisile Mtshali, Director, Corporate Philanthropy, BMSF, Dr. Chandy said Tamil Nadu government has included H-B immunisation (3 doses) as part of the regular immunisation schedule given to the children in the last one year. The first dose is given immediately on birth, the second dose one month after birth, and the third dose six months after the second vaccination. However, H-B vaccination was included by the Union government in the National Immunisation Programme six years ago. Under the AHBAAS project, the beneficiaries were immunised at a subsidised cost of Rs.45, the subsidisation being done by the company, which supplied the vaccines to the CMC Hospital, he said.

Ms. Mtshali made a power-point presentation of the activities of BMSF under the title, 'Empowering Communities and Empowering Patients.' She said that the BMSF supported activities for tackling serious mental illness in the U.S., cancer in Europe, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Africa and H-B in Asia. The BMSF partnered with five organisations and implemented seven projects in India. The projects with the National Liver Foundation and the Blood Bank Federation, Mumbai, involved operational studies to improve counselling for blood donors infected with H-B and Hepatitis-C.

The BMSF official said that the most impressive activity was that of the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura (HFT) which mobilised doctors, para-medical staff, government and non-governmental organisations for a massive H-B immunisation programme in that State.

The children who were given the first dose were asked to come for the second and third doses of immunisation on the scheduled days. The Tripura government supported the initiative by involving all government hospitals and primary health centres in the exercise.

Asked whether such camps are not needed frequently since children were born every day, Ms. Mtshali said that while the government and non-governmental organisations could create awareness and provide support to immunisation programmes, the demand for immunisation has to come from the beneficiary. Under the B-Rodh (prevention of H-B) project in Uttar Pradesh, the BMSF reached out to 20,000 students in various districts, provided awareness materials to children in 172 schools, conducted quiz in 85 schools, poster competitions in 32 schools and debates in 49 schools to create awareness on H-B immunisation.

The BMSF official said that in Kolkata, awareness was created through the Rural Health Care Practitioners (RHCP), in association with the Liver Foundation of Kolkata. The RHCPs are considered as the vanguards in many villages, and they were the first responders to villagers in need, or in a crisis. After imparting training to the RHCPs, they were given the materials for creating H-B awareness, she said.

Dr. Chandy said that the CMC Hospital conducted a two-day H-B awareness camp in the hospital on Wednesday and Thursday for the benefit of the staff of the hospital and their family members. A total of 472 employees and their family members were immunised against H-B on Thursday, and 262 on Wednesday. Sahayam, transplant coordinator of the hospital went to the work spots such as civil engineering department and laundry and created awareness among the staff. Interactive classes were conducted to increase awareness among various categories of healthcare workers. Dr. Chandy said that the vaccination wing in the liver clinic of the CMC Hospital administered immunisation to the adult public on Mondays and Thursdays.