Meeting India’s immunisation goals

Why in news?

According to the 2016 midterm review of GVAP, India continues to have the highest number of unvaccinated children worldwide.

What is GVAP?

• The GVAP (Global Vaccine Action Plan) launched in 2012 by WHO.
• It isa formidable step towards providing equitable access to vaccines for people living in low-income countries.
• Under GVAP, 194 countries came together to commit better healthcare for the world and with a promise for a disease-free future.

What is the status of global immunisation coverage?

• Recently WHO estimated that 20 million infants worldwide still do not receive the most basic vaccines under GVAP.
• Essential immunisation coverage rates in low-income countries have increased by a paltry 1 per cent since 2010.
• A whopping 68 countries, including India, fell short of the 90 per cent basic immunisation target coverage.
• This has hampered the overall progress of GVAP.

What is India’s response to vaccination crisis?

• India introduced immunisation programme Mission Indradhanush in 2014, to improve the 65% immunisation rate achieved in its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) since 1985.
• Further, new vaccines were added to the UIP in realising India’s obligations to GVAP 2020.

• Government identified 201 high-focus districts across 28 States that have the highest number of partially-immunised and unimmunised children and channelled resources to address the gap.

• India recently launched one of the world’s largest vaccination campaigns against measles, a major childhood disease, and congenital rubella, which is responsible for irreversible birth defects.
• The campaign will vaccinate more than 35 million children in the age group of 9 months to 15 years with the MR (measles and rubella) vaccine.

What measures are needed to achieve vaccination targets?

• Sustainable resources and timely execution of well-crafted strategies are required to achieve immunisation targets.
• Stakeholder cooperation will be paramount in making India fully immunised.
• Building awareness about the value of vaccines is crucial step towards delivering ‘Health for all’.
• Community-based information provided by trusted sources can help address issues confronting vaccine hesitancy at large.
• In order to achieve 100 per cent immunisation rate in the country, optimal usage of technologies for vaccine delivery is required.
• Use of eVIN technology (electronic vaccine intelligence network) that digitises vaccine stocks through smartphone apps must be encouraged.
• Reducing wastage and enhancing vaccine to stimulate the best immune response particularly in small children are needed.
• Immunisation programmes must have robust training, management and knowledge-sharing structures for programme implementation to be effective.

Source: Business Line