The Union Health Ministry addressed recent media reports claiming that India has a large number of “zero-dose children” (children who have not received any vaccines), according to a UNICEF report. The Ministry stressed that these reports present an incomplete picture of India’s immunization data as they do not take into account the population base and immunization coverage of the countries compared (1✔ ✔Reliable source
New UNICEF report shows 12.7 million children in Africa missed one or more vaccines in three years
).
Advertisement
A broader perspective on immunization efforts
The Ministry stressed that a comprehensive understanding of the country’s immunization efforts can only be achieved by examining relative data and programmatic interventions. India’s immunization coverage for all antigens is higher than the global average, with coverage for most antigens exceeding 90 percent. This is comparable to high-income countries such as New Zealand (DTP-1 93 percent), Germany and Finland (DPT-3 91 percent), Sweden (MCV-1 93 percent), Luxembourg (MCV-2 90 percent), Ireland (PCV-3 83 percent) and the United Kingdom (RotaC 90 percent).
Advertisement
Comparison of global immunization coverage
Even if one considers India’s 83 percent coverage for the Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) – the lowest among the antigens compared, but still significantly higher than the global average of 65 percent. India stands out as the only country among the compared nations with DTP-1 (Penta-1) coverage above 90 percent. The dropout rate for children who receive the first but not the third dose of DTP (Penta) is only 2 percent, while other countries show a much wider gap. These figures reflect India’s targeted programmatic interventions despite its wide socio-geographic diversity.
Advertisement
Children with zero doses and national commitment to immunization
In India, unvaccinated children represent just 0.11 per cent of the total population, highlighting the government’s commitment to expanding the reach of the national immunization programme. The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), the country’s largest public health initiative, targets 2.6 million children and 2.9 million pregnant women annually through 1.2 million vaccination sessions.
In FY 2023–24, India achieved a total immunization coverage rate of 93.23 per cent nationwide. Consistent efforts to vaccinate all eligible children have led to a significant reduction in the under-5 mortality rate (U5MR), which declined from 45 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 32 per 1,000 live births in 2020 (SRS 2020). Since 2014, six new vaccines have been added to the UIP, improving the breadth of protection.
Mission Indradhanush and beyond
To address the issue of unvaccinated and inadequately vaccinated children, India launched the state-supported Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush. These initiatives have reduced the number of unvaccinated children by 34 per cent between 2014 and 2023. Across the 12 phases of Mission Indradhanush, 5.46 million children and 1.32 million pregnant women have been vaccinated.
Compared to most other countries, India administers the maximum number of vaccines recommended by WHO under the universal vaccination programme. The national average coverage of 83.4 per cent exceeds the global average by more than 10 percentage points. In addition, thanks to high levels of coverage for oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), India has maintained its polio-free status for 13 years since the last case in 2011.
In conclusion, the Union Health Ministry’s statement highlights India’s robust immunization infrastructure and significant public health achievements, demonstrating the country’s dedication to protecting the health of its population through comprehensive vaccination efforts.
Reference:
- New UNICEF report shows 12.7 million children in Africa missed one or more vaccines in three years (https://www.unicef.org/esa/press-releases/new-unicef-report-shows-127-million-children-africa-missed-out-one-or-more)
Source-Medindia
