Deadlock over JE vaccine drive ends,but no quick relief for kids

“We will give 74 lakh doses of JE vaccine from the fresh stock to the state government as per their demand. The two stocks of fresh consignments are expected to arrive in the first week of September and first week of October,” said a senior officer of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Though the deadlock has ended,the vaccination campaign will not provide immunity to the children in Gorakhpur and Basti division during the peak season of the disease that begins from July and ends in October. The campaign will only provide immunity to the children till the onset of the peak season next year.

The immunisation drive was supposed to begin in February this year but it failed to take off as both the governments objected to the demand of the other,thereby resulting in delay.

In the meantime,it was decided to conduct the drive in the last week of May but the vaccines sent by Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare were rejected by the state health department alleging that the supplied stock was inadequate and defective. The drive then got postponed and subsequently it was suspended for an indefinite period.

Senior officials of state health department who are in Delhi to attend the review meeting of National Rural Health Mission also confirmed this.

“There is no deadlock now. We are planned to launch the special vaccination campaign after the rainy season,sometime in October,” said Dr S P Ram,Director General,Family Welfare,Uttar Pradesh.