Education minister Tanveer Sait allays vaccine fears, says it's safe

February 8, 2017

Bengaluru, Feb 8: Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait has allayed fears about the measles-rubella vaccine project and affirmed it was safe for children.

The vaccination drive launched by the government has run into controversies with some experts raising objection to the specifications of the needles being used to administer the vaccine to children.

"I, too, heard the needle used for vaccination is thick. As education minister, I'm responsible for the drive taking place at schools. I'm answerable to parents. I've consulted doctors who said there is not much difference between the two needles (of 23 and 26 gauge). I have been assured it is safe," the minister said.

Principal Secretary (health) Shalini Rajneesh said 23-gauge needles with 120-mm length were being used for measles injections for the past 30 years and the same would be used for MR-VAC campaign too. "Private doctors are talking about 26-gauge needle. We have taken adequate measures to ensure safety of children and the nurses have been welltrained. The parents need not be worried," she said.

The Karnataka government plans to vaccinate 1.64 crore children aged between 9 months and 15 years in three weeks.

Experts said vaccination is the subcutaneous injection, and requires a thinner needle. Inter-muscular injection requires a thicker needle.

On Tuesday morning when the drive was launched, all the centres used 23-gauge needles with auto-disabled syringe to administer 0.5-ml vaccine. Only a few used 26-g aug e needles. At Bharat Sevadal School where education minister Tanveer Sait launched the drive, nurses were given 400 needles of 23-gauge and two 26-gauge needles.

At Ambika Primary School in Nandini Layout, a team of three nurses ad ministered 650 vaccines and all were through 23-gauge needles. The team vaccinated 600 children at Shiksha Nikethan School using 23-gauge needles.

Dr Yashoda Devi, an independent paediatrician, said the government had failed to do due diligence before embarking on the immunization drive."Specification of the needle is a minor issue. The basic question is: Why has the government imposed MR-VC vaccine when MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella is already around?" she said.

Some private city schools are yet to take a call on allowing vaccination of their students and have decided to wait for parents' consent.

Also Read: A few kids suffer side effects after Measles-Rubella vaccination

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Mangaluru’s public transport revolution: 100 new govt electric buses to end private ‘trip-cutting’

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

• Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

• State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

• Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

Comments