The Centre on Wednesday said that there is no evidence to suggest that the Covid-19 vaccines cause infertility in either men or women while it urged all adults to register for the jabs.
Further, countering vaccine hesitancy, the Union health ministry on Wednesday reasserted that all the Covid-19 vaccines being used in India’s inoculation programme are safe and effective.
Addressing concerns raised by lactating women, the ministry said that post inoculation such recipients can continue breastfeeding and there’s no need to pause lactating before or after vaccination.
This development follows earlier briefings by the ministry when it asserted that the Covid-19 vaccines do not affect menstruation in women and that women can take the jabs while on their periods.
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The health ministry clarified in a series of FAQs posted on its website that none of the available vaccines affect fertility of either men or women, as all vaccines and their constituents are tested first on animals and later in humans to assess if they have any such side effects, the statement said.
Vaccines are authorised for use only after their safety and efficacy is assured.
"Furthermore, in order to curb the prevalent myth regarding infertility due to COVID-19 vaccination, the government of India has clarified that there are no scientific evidences suggesting COVID-19 vaccination can cause infertility in men and women. The vaccines have been found to be safe and effective," the statement said.
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It further said that in a recent interview, Dr N K Arora, chairperson of COVID-19 Working Group of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has countered these fears and allegations.
He said that misinformation was also created during the administering of polio vaccine in India and abroad that children who are getting the vaccine may face infertility in the future. He assured that all vaccines go through intense scientific researches and none of the vaccines have this sort of side-effect, the statement stated.
NEGVAC has also recommended COVID-19 vaccination for all lactating women, terming it as safe with no need to stop or pause breastfeeding before or after the vaccination, it said.
(With PTI inputs)
