According to the doctors, the danger of Rubella infection arises in the first trimester of pregnancy and affects the developing foetus. Infants born with Rubella are susceptible to hearing loss, retarded growth, vision problems and even heart disease.

“If the Rubella vaccine is administered to a girl when she attains child-bearing age, the period of her pregnancy and delivery stage will be effectively covered. However, people are often under the misconception that the MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine given to a newborn insures the child against Rubella forever. Few know that revaccination is a must to prolong the effect of the vaccine,” said Mehta.

Similarly the doctors will also advocate the impact of having a thalassemia test before marriage. “When both the partners carry a Thalessemia minor trait, there is a 25 per cent chance that their child will acquire a Thalessemia major disease. Hence, if the partners learn that they carry the trait before they marry, they can take the necessary steps to ensure that their child doesn’t get the disease,” said Mehta.

The third step in the three-point programme is to encourage married couples to take the TORCH test before planning a pregnancy. The test identifies whether the aspiring parents suffer from the Cytomegalovirus (CMV). The infection which attributes for 20-30 per cent of newborn deaths causes mental retardation and hearing problems 15-30 per cent of surviving infants.

The society will be spreading awareness about the programme by specifically going to girls’ schools and colleges. Come December and the Society members will be putting up hoardings and posters and also plan to make another quicky.