Fewer children are getting the polio vaccine

The number of children coming to receive the oral polio vaccine on national immunisation days has started declining. The parents mainly say that the paramedical worker will come to their home the next day and administer the vaccine, so they need not bother to bring their child to the vaccination booth. The problem is more pronounced in high-rise buildings. People often do not bring their child to the booth even if the booth is located near the building. Discussions show that that they do not perceive their children to be susceptible to polio because doses have previously been administered; they also rely more on the advice of their family physician or paediatrician.

During our monitoring visits, we found that a few children remained unvaccinated despite a team visiting their home to administer the vaccine. One family told us that none of their children was under five years of age. We knew this was untrue. When we finally persuaded the parents to allow us to see their under-five child, we found that the child had not been vaccinated because he was sleeping when the team visited and the parents did not want to disturb him. We came across another almost identical instance when the male child was sleeping during the paramedical worker’s visit.

This is a serious concern. People are becoming insensitive to an important public health programme, that too at a crucial juncture. It is important to explore strategies to overcome this hurdle.