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3 new vaccines added to immunisation programme

Goal of programme is to stop child death by 2035
Last Updated 20 August 2015, 20:03 IST

India is set to add three additional vaccines in the Universal Immunisation Programme from 2016, aiming to stop child death by 2035.

Currently, seven vaccines are given to every new-born children. The government has given the green signal to add three more next year to prevent childhood meningitis, diarrhoea and rubella, health ministry sources told Deccan Herald.

From October, 2015 the oral polio vaccine too will be replaced by the inactivated polio vaccine, which is injected to a child. Gradually, the oral polio drops will be replaced by the IPV shots, as is the practice in most of the countries.

“Our aim is to have zero child death by 2035,” says C K Mishra, additional secretary in the health ministry and mission director of the National Health Mission.

“We are on course to achieve the Millennium Development Goals 4 (MDG) -4 and 5 by December, 2015,” he claims.

United Nation’s MDG -4 and 5 set a target for each country to reduce its infant and child and maternal mortality rates. Mishra claims many Indian states already achieved these goals and the national target is within the reach.

But even after achieving the MDG targets, India’s child death burden would continue to be very high due to the large population. Addition of new vaccines may aid in decreasing the burden.

Introduction of rota-virus vaccine was initially planned in the last quarter of 2015, but has been pushed to the first quarter of 2016. Other two, Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) against meningitis and Rubella would follow suit.

“The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has now been tasked to find out the appropriate roll out time for pneumococcal vaccine to prevent childhood pneumonia and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer,” said another official.
India would showcase some of its health care success to 17 African, five Asian and one North American nation next week at a conference in the capital. Supported by several UN agencies, the Call to Action summit would lay the grounds for the UN General Assembly in September, 2015 where the UN will redefine the goals to carry forward the MDG legacy.
 

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(Published 20 August 2015, 20:03 IST)

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