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Vaccination is 1 of the astir effectual and cost-efficient nationalist wellness measures, redeeming millions of lives. India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is the world’s largest, and annually vaccinates 2.6 crore infants and 2.9 crore large women. It contributed to a diminution successful under-5 mortality from 45 to 31 per 1,000 unrecorded births betwixt 2014 and 2021, according to the Sample Registration System 2021.
The UIP offers escaped immunisation against 12 diseases — 11 vaccines nationwide and 1 vaccine successful endemic areas. In the past decade, six vaccines — Tetanus and Adult Diphtheria, Inactivated Poliovirus, Measles-Rubella, Rotavirus, Pneumococcal Conjugate, and Japanese Encephalitis — were added to the UIP crossed property groups.
India’s afloat immunisation sum was 62% successful 2014 (National Family Health Survey-4, 2015-16). To execute 90% coverage, India launched Mission Indradhanush (MI) successful 2014. In 2017, it launched the Intensified MI (IMI) programme to strategically people low-coverage areas and missed populations. By 2023, 12 phases of the MI and IMI had been completed, vaccinating 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore large women. The MI and IMI phases were integrated into campaigns specified arsenic the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and the Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyan to further the outreach. As a result, afloat immunisation sum accrued successful 2024–25.
However, challenges stay successful reaching distant and migratory populations, clusters with debased awareness, and populations with vaccine hesitancy. Innovative strategies specified arsenic ‘zero-dose’ outreach, integer tracking, and infrastructure improvements are being utilized to code these gaps.
Vaccine coverage
India has maintained its polio-free presumption since 2011 done continued stringent surveillance. Lessons from the National Polio Programme person strengthened the UIP and vaccine-preventable illness surveillance. India besides achieved maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination successful 2015 and was declared Yaws-free successful 2016.
Between 2017 and 2019, done the nationwide Measles-Rubella catch-up campaign, 34.8 crore children aged 9 months to 15 years were vaccinated, alongside the instauration of the rubella vaccine into the UIP. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted regular immunisation services, causing setbacks successful the gains made nether UIP. Disruptive measles outbreaks betwixt 2022 and 2024 signalled immunity gaps and affected ample clusters of unimmunised children. In response, the IMI 5.0 successful 2023 targeted under-five children crossed the country. The Zero Measles- Rubella Elimination run was launched successful 2025 to boost nationalist consciousness astir immunisation. These efforts purpose to surpass 95% nationalist Measles-Rubella sum and physique beardown herd immunity.
Tech integration
India has prioritised acold concatenation logistics, strategy strengthening done the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, and vaccine transportation and vaccination utilizing the U-WIN platform. Building connected the occurrence of CO-WIN, U-WIN enables end-to-end integer vaccination and grounds keeping and tracking of vaccination for large women and children up to 16 years. It enables nationwide, anytime-anywhere entree for vaccination services, particularly for migratory populations. Complementary integer technologies see the physics Vaccine Intelligence Network for vaccine stock, the National Cold Chain Management Information System for real-time acold concatenation tracking, and the SAFE-VAC module for vaccine information reporting.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, India was a frontrunner successful vaccine development. The COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched connected January 16, 2021, conscionable weeks aft the planetary rollout. By January 2023, implicit 220 crore doses had been administered, covering 97% of citizens with 1 dose and 90% with some doses, marking a large accomplishment successful nationalist wellness connected the planetary stage. Despite unit from assorted sectors, India relied connected its home vaccine improvement and manufacturing capacity.
With proactive public-private partnerships, India not lone met its nationalist needs but besides supported galore debased and middle-income countries done the Vaccine Maitri initiative, reflecting the tone of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the satellite is 1 family). India is present the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing hub. With the ‘Make successful India’ strategy, the state has the imaginable to alteration the aboriginal planetary vaccine landscape.
India’s immunisation achievements implicit the past decennary are path-breaking and globally recognised arsenic a exemplary for emulation. On March 6, 2024, India received the Measles and Rubella Champion Award from the Measles and Rubella Partnership, honouring its efforts successful the South-East Asia Region.
India has made singular strides successful expanding vaccine coverage, strengthening proviso chains, enhancing surveillance, and gathering nationalist trust. Notwithstanding these achievements, determination remains a request to intimately nexus high-quality and delicate illness surveillance with immunisation efforts, arsenic good arsenic monitoring of anti-vaccine narratives. For a country’s pandemic/epidemic preparedness, the immunisation and vaccine-preventable illness surveillance has to person a ONE-HEALTH lens. This would mean nurturing existing platforms and integrating associated surveillance of human, animal, and biology systems.
