By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 3: The government has included the new rotavirus vaccine in the National Immunisation Programme (NIP). The vaccine will be given to young children to protect against rotavirus infections which are the leading causes of severe diarrhoea.
Minister for Health and Population Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal launched the vaccine in Nepal amidst a programme organised by the Ministry of Health and Population on Thursday. The vaccine is being introduced with the support and partnership of Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation (GAVI).
In Nepal, 38 per cent of the children aged under five get diarrhoea every year. Of the total number of children admitted to hospitals for the ailment, 30 per cent have rotavirus infections. Studies also show that rotavirus is the leading cause of deaths among young diarrhoea patients.
“The government has now included the rotavirus vaccine in the NIP to mitigate this problem and to protect the health of infants and children,” Minister Dhakal said.
At the same time Minister Dhakal stressed the need to focus on improving infant and child nutrition and promote sanitation to combat the illness. “For this reason, sanitation promotion will be integrated with the rotavirus vaccination programme from this fiscal year and annually, around 620,000 mothers and parents will be given sessions on child nutrition, infant and child food safety, sanitation etc. through the immunisation centres,” he informed.
The Minister also elaborated on the nature of NIP, through which, about 16,000 immunisation centres across the country provide free immunisation services to children of up to 15 months of age against 11 different diseases and protect more than 630,000 children annually from infectious and potentially deadly diseases.
He also highlighted the successes of the immunisation drive in keeping Nepal polio-free since 2010 and helping control life-threatening diseases like measles and rubella. He also expressed the government’s commitment towards the effective operation and management of vaccination services.
Calling vaccination a basic and essential health service, he also acknowledged the challenges that one per cent of Nepali children are still unvaccinated and 21 per cent are only partially vaccinated.
“In this area, I expect continuous coordination, support, cooperation and partnership from all levels, agencies and individuals,” he said, while also commending all the local levels, health agencies and health workers for continuing with vaccination even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Dhakal also thanked GAVI, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), WaterAid and other organisations for their continued financial and technical support to the Government of Nepal for NIP.