24 February 2009
Ahmedabad, India
A total of 55,857 people were vaccinated on Monday, the first day of the largest vaccination drive in and around Modasa against the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), initiated by the Gujarat government.
The official death toll in Modasa reached 44 on Monday, while the total number of affected has shot up to 137.
H S Patel, the Chief District Health Officer of Sabarkantha, said: “We will continue the programme on Tuesday as we have been unable to complete the vaccination of the entire population of Modasa, which is 60,000. Besides, people from the nearby towns and villages are also coming in for the vaccination drive.”
The Health Department had set up a total of 62 booths across Modasa for the vaccination drive. Over a lakh disposable syringes and needles were purchased from Ahmedabad and 60,000 adult vaccines and 30,000 paediatric doses were air-lifted from Hyderabad for the purpose. The training of 400 medical workers was also wrapped up in a day as part of the drive.
The core team with 400 staff members along with over a dozen expert teams from various institutes in the state are camping in Modasa since Sunday.
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