KATHMANDU: The government has recently acquired 6 million 50 thousand doses of vaccines designed to combat measles and rubella.
Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Vaccination Section at the Department of Health Services, has confirmed the arrival of this vaccine supply in the country, courtesy of the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunizations (GAVI) grant assistance.
The vaccines, produced by the Serum Institute of India, have been received, with an additional 280,000 doses expected, as per Dr. Gautam.
The government plans to initiate a nationwide vaccination campaign from February 25 to March 20, targeting approximately 5.7 million children under the age of 15, considering the potential infection risk.
The campaign will cover children aged nine months to below 15 years in 21 districts, including those sharing borders with India and assessed as highly vulnerable to infection, along with the three districts in the Kathmandu Valley, according to Gautam.
In the remaining districts, the vaccines will be administered to children aged nine months to five years. Previously, the government conducted a vaccination campaign in Jajarkot and West Rukum following the November 3 earthquake.
The overarching goal is to eliminate measles and rubella infections by the year 2026.
Dr. Surendra Chaurasiya, Chief of the Vaccine Supplies Management Section, mentioned that the vaccines have been stored at the Teku-based Central Vaccine Store and will be dispatched to districts shortly.
Last year, rubella and measles infections reached epidemic proportions in 19 districts.
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