New Delhi, Apr 20 (FN Bureau) The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday lauded India’s immunization programme and said despite the Covid -19 pandemic India managed to bring the number of zero-dose children down to 2.7 million between 2020-21. Releasing the ‘State of the World’s Children 2023 Report’ on Immunization, the UN agency gave credit to the “political commitment” and sustained campaigns in the health sector by the government. “India was able to arrest the backslide between 2020 and 2021 to bring the number of zero-dose children down to 2.7 million thanks to unwavering political commitment and sustained campaigns initiated by the government including the fourth Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) and provision of comprehensive Primary Health Care services” it said.
As per the agency, the number of Zero-dose children in the world had increased to three million during the pandemic (2020-21) The report highlighted that, while India is home to about 2.7 million of the world’s zero-dose children, but its share of zero dose children is relatively “modest” globally. As per the WHO-UNICEF estimates (WUENIC 2020-21) of national immunisation coverage, the number of unvaccinated or zero-dose children rose from 13 million to 18 million globally between 2019 and 2021, an increase of more than a third. Based on new data collected by The Vaccine Confidence Project (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and published by UNICEF, the report revealed that popular perception of the importance of vaccines for children held firm or improved only in China, India and Mexico out of 55 countries studied. Commenting on the report, Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative said, the state of the World’s Children 2023 report highlights India as one of the countries with the highest vaccine confidence in the world.
“This is a recognition of the Government of India’s political and social commitment and demonstrates that the #largestvaccinesdrive during the pandemic has paid off in building confidence and strengthening systems for routine immunization to vaccinate every child,” said said. “Immunization is one of humanity’s most remarkable success stories, allowing children to live healthy lives and contribute to society. Reaching the last child with immunization is a key marker of equity that benefits not only the child but also the whole community” added McCaffrey. The SOWC report also underscored that in order to reach the missed-out 5 child, it is vital to prioritize investments in primary health care. “India has demonstrated this through its strong approach to PHC (Ayushman Bharat and Health and Wellness Care Centres)” it said. The agency added that the national launch event provides an excellent platform to highlight the efforts undertaken by the government on scaling up PHC in order to achieve universal health coverage. The report acknowledged that India is one of the countries with the highest vaccine confidence in the world, which demonstrates the effectiveness to address hesitancy.
UNICEF report showed that India is one of the 3 countries, out of 55 countries surveyed, where confidence for children’s vaccines has increased. “This high level of confidence underscores the vital role of sustained advocacy, community engagement, and strategic communication in bolstering immunization programmes” it said. Over the impact of Covid -19 on the immunization programme, the agency said “the pandemic has set back immunization globally and may have caused vaccine fatigue and hesitancy. “India successfully ensured a continued focus on COVID-19 vaccination with the country achieving unprecedented immunization of its population with over 200 crore doses administered in a short span of time” it said.