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Addressing Diphtheria

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December 24, 2017

What is the issue?

  • Diphtheria is rapidly spreading in south Indian states affecting many children due to lowering vaccination coverage.
  • India needs a better vaccination and awareness program to address lowering vaccination coverage.

What is Diphtheria?

  • Diphtheria is a highly infectious disease, which usually shows up as a sore throat and difficulty in breathing.
  • It spreads through contact or cough and sneeze droplets, and is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
  • In severe cases, the toxin secreted by this bacterium kills cells in the throat.
  • If the patient isn’t treated the toxin can spread through the bloodstream hurting the heart and kidneys.

What is the status of the disease in India?

  • India has had a diphtheria vaccination programme since the 1980s.
  • Yet India continues to be a world leader in diphtheria today, with 3,380 cases and 177 deaths reported in 2016.
  • This year has seen worrying outbreaks in Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, among other States.
  • Diphtheria is increasingly infecting adolescents and adults in India, though it was historically an illness of children under five.

What are the reasons behind the growing disease in India?

  • Under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), all children below one year of age are supposed to get three doses of the Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccine.
  • It is followed by two booster doses between 1-2 years and 5-6 years.
  • But coverage of the three primary doses is inadequate at 80% across the country and there is no vaccination for grown-ups.
  • Data on coverage with the two booster doses is patchy, with one study showing poor rates of around 60% and 36% for each dose, respectively, in 2006.

What are the reasons behind lower vaccinationcoverage?

  • Usually lower vaccination coverage is triggered by an ill-advised change in vaccination schedules and socio-economic instability among the population.
  • A review from Chennai’s National Institute of Epidemiology found low rates of vaccination among Muslim communities, one of the reasons driving outbreaks in States like Andhra Pradesh.
  • Kerala despite its high vaccination rates, has susceptible pockets for the same reason.
  • This because there are anti-vaccination sentiments seeded by few Islamic clerics in this regions.

 

Source: The Hindu

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