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Updated October 22nd, 2019 at 23:32 IST

31.2 lakh babies do not complete a full round of vaccination in India

It is estimated that 260 lakh babies born every year and out of this, total 31.2 lakh children are unable to complete a full round of vaccination in India

Reported by: Yash Sanghvi
31.2 lakh
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In India, it is estimated that 260 lakh babies are born every year and out of this total, there are 31.2 lakh children who are unable to complete a full round of vaccination, according to the latest figures released by the Health Management Information System. The Health Management Information System compiles report cards specially prepared for every State. 

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'Sustaining the reach a bigger challenge'

It is crucial and mandatory that in the first year of birth, babies should receive vaccination five times and a total of seven times by the time they are five years old. According to a senior official, India has not been able to achieve the 100% vaccination coverage. "Our present immunisation reach is nearly 87%. Sustaining the reach is a bigger challenge. There are at least 31.2 lakh children who do not complete full rounds of vaccine. These children remain partially protected against the disease for which they have not taken the vaccine," the official said.

The senior official further added, "There are multiple challenges. First, the mothers do not bring their babies as they fear that babies get irritable and get fever and pain post-vaccination. Second, families migrate, and third is the outright refusal of mothers not to vaccinate their children. These parents do not see the benefit of vaccination.” As part of efforts to cover all children in vaccination, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will launch Mission Indradhanush 2.0 on October 31 to mark pulse polio silver jubilee.

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'We will be carrying out massive vaccinations program'

"We will be carrying out massive vaccinations program in low immunisation pockets located in 271 districts and also in 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," said a Health Ministry official. "Total vaccination program is dedicated for children up to two years of age and for all pregnant women," he added. About 12 various kinds of vaccines are included under the mission out of which ten categories of vaccines will be used nationwide while the other two vaccines are put under sub-vaccination levels. "The two vaccines which are put under sub-vaccination level are for diseases like Japanese Encephalitis and Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine which occurs in high-end endemic areas," the official added. 

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2019 marks 25 years since first Polio Eradication Campaign

Speaking on the occasion, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan recalled his memory of the Polio Eradication program way back in 1994 and said, "It was massive teamwork by all stakeholders together to eradicate polio. We started it from Delhi and gradually it became a national movement calling Pulse Polio Campaign." "In a single day, we reached at least one million children up to the age of three years. Two doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) were administered to these children on October 2 and December 4 through exclusive booth based strategy," said the Union Health Minister. This year marks 25 years since the first Polio Eradication Campaign that started in Delhi by the then Health Minister of Delhi as a pilot project and was later replicated by the other States to fight with the menace of polio. In 2014, the WHO rewarded India as a Polio-free Nation which is one of the most significant achievements in the public healthcare sector.

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(Inputs from ANI)

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Published October 22nd, 2019 at 22:41 IST

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