World Immunization Day 2024

It is celebrated on 10^th November annually.
It emphasizes the significance of vaccines in preventing infectious diseases and promoting public health.
This day serves as a global call to action, encouraging countries, healthcare providers, and communities to strengthen immunization coverage and reach underserved populations.
In India, World Immunization Day carries special importance due to the nation’s focus on expanding vaccination coverage to remote and marginalized regions, safeguarding public health, and reducing child mortality rates.

Immunization is recognized as a highly effective and affordable means to prevent diseases like measles, polio, tuberculosis, and COVID-19.
By reducing infectious disease incidence, vaccines contribute to herd immunity and community health.
Impact on Child Mortality: Immunization has been central to India's public health efforts, with progress made through programs such as the Universal Immunization Programme and Mission Indradhanush, both aiming to lower child mortality and eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases.
India’s Public Health Milestones
- COVID-19 Vaccination Drive: India’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign, launched in 2021, administered over 220 crore doses by early 2023, with 97% receiving one dose and 90% fully vaccinated.
- Polio-Free Certification: In 2014, India was certified polio-free, a major achievement in public health, maintaining vigilance despite the continued risk of polio importation from endemic countries.
- Elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus: Achieved in April 2015, India reduced tetanus incidence to less than 1 case per 1,000 live births, marking another major step in public health.
- Yaws-Free Certification: India became the first country certified as yaws-free by WHO, highlighting its commitment to eradicating diseases affecting marginalized communities.

Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)

Launch and Scope: Established as the Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1978, it became the UIP in 1985, extending vaccine coverage to rural areas to address healthcare disparities.
Key Achievements:
- Targets approximately 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women each year.
- Under-5 mortality rate decreased from 45 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 32 per 1,000 in 2020.
- Full Immunization Coverage for FY 2023-24 reached 93.23% nationwide.
Vaccines Provided: UIP provides free vaccines for 12 diseases, including nationwide immunizations for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, hepatitis B, and region-specific vaccines like those for Japanese Encephalitis and Pneumococcal Pneumonia.

Mission Indradhanush

Launched: 2014,
It aims to increase full immunization coverage for children, specifically targeting areas with low immunization rates to ensure no child is left unprotected.
Achievements:
- Covers hard-to-reach regions and marginalized communities, achieving a 6.7% increase in coverage within the first year.
- Integrated with national programs like Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, extending reach to 16,850 villages across 541 districts and over 48,000 villages in aspirational districts.

U-WIN Portal

It is a digital platform to streamline and track immunization for pregnant women and children up to 17 years under the UIP, offering easy access to vaccine records through a user-friendly system.
Features and Reach:
- Allows ‘Anytime Access’ and ‘Anywhere’ vaccination scheduling.
- Provides QR-based eVaccination Certificates and options for creating Ayushman Bharat Health IDs.
- Available in 11 regional languages, with over 6.46 crore beneficiaries and 23.06 crore doses recorded as of September 2024.