Karnataka to roll out Hepatitis B vaccination drive for healthcare workers

Hepatitis B vaccine stocks have been supplied by the central division to the state vaccine warehouse in Bengaluru. Image used for representative purposes.

With stocks of over two lakh doses of the Hepatitis B vaccine, the Karnataka Health Department is all set to roll out a drive to vaccinate all healthcare workers against the viral infection that causes inflammation in the liver.

The drive, being taken up under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), will cover over 56,000 healthcare workers who have reasonably anticipated risks for exposure to infectious materials, including blood or bodily fluids, contaminated medical supplies and equipment, or contaminated environmental surfaces, said a senior official in charge of the programme.

According to a circular issued by the State Deputy Director (NVHCP) in this regard on Wednesday, June 18, each healthcare worker will be administered three doses of the intramuscular injection into the upper arm at a gap of one month and six months respectively after the first dose.

Hepatitis B vaccine stocks have been supplied by the central division to the state vaccine warehouse in Bengaluru. The stocks are now being dispatched to the district drug warehouses as per the requirement. The vaccine should be administered to all health workers (medical and paramedical staff) working in the sub-centre, primary, and community health centres, and taluk and district hospitals of the respective district, the circular stated.

The vaccine supplied to the district drug warehouses should be in coordination with the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) officers to understand the requirement under the routine immunisation programme. The District Tuberculosis Control Officers should take action in supplying the vaccine and administering it to the eligible beneficiaries. The report of vaccination to the beneficiaries should be entered in the NVHCP/MIS portal, and the staff will soon be trained on administering the vaccine and reporting, the circular added.