Lessons must be learnt from past experiences for reaching the target of 90% immunization coverage by 2018

Lessons must be learnt from past experiences for reaching the target of 90% immunization coverage by 2018

Full immunization against preventable childhood diseases is the right of every child

New Delhi, 10 November 2017: About five lakh children die in India every year due to vaccine preventable diseases. Another 89 lakh children are at risk due to incomplete or absent vaccination, according to statistics. The Universal Immunization Programme or UIP was relaunched in the year 2014 as ‘Mission Indradhanush’. The target was to achieve 90% immunization coverage by 2020, which has recently been changed to 2018 by the hon’ble Prime Minister.

One of the world’s largest health programmes, Mission Indradhanush believes that full immunization against preventable childhood diseases is every child’s right. Under this mission, vaccines against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases are provided to children and pregnant women. Thus far, about 2.47 crore children have been vaccinated, of which 55 lakh have been fully immunized. Apart from this, 67 lakh pregnant women have also been vaccinated.

Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said, “Immunization is necessary for one and all. Often, people assume that it is not necessary because their children appear healthy or do not fall sick often. In other cases, health workers may not be able to reach out to some families due to non-availability of members at a certain point. There is a need to create awareness on the importance of immunization particularly for children and expectant mothers. Doing so will help us play a role in the larger good of the nation and achieve the government’s target also in a timely manner. Apart from this, there is also a need to scale up manpower, supplies, budget, and other resources to speed up the process.”

Mission Indradhanush, depicting seven colours of the rainbow, targets to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases namely Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Childhood Tuberculosis, Polio, Hepatitis B and Measles. In addition to this, vaccines for JE (Japanese Encephalitis) and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) are also being provided in selected states. 

Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, “If the coverage is not sustainable year on year, it will ultimately lead to fatigue. If the mission is intensified, the efforts ahead also need to be at par. There is still reluctance, opposition, and slow acceptance of vaccination apart from other operational challenges. The challenges faced in delivering lifesaving vaccines need to be addressed from the existing knowledge and lessons must be learnt from past experiences.”

The Vaccination Schedule under the UIP is as follows.

• BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) 1 dose at Birth (upto 1 year if not given earlier)
• DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus Toxoid) 5 doses; Three primary doses at 6weeks,10weeks and 14 weeks and two booster doses at 16-24 months and 5 Years of age
• OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) 5 doses; 0 dose at birth, three primary doses at 6,10 and 14 weeks and one booster dose at 16-24 months of age
• Hepatitis B vaccine 4 doses; 0 dose within 24 hours of birth and three doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.
• Measles 2 doses; first dose at 9-12 months and second dose at 16-24months of age
• TT (Tetanus Toxoid) 2 doses at 10 years and 16 years of age
• TT – for pregnant woman two doses or one dose if previously vaccinated within 3 Year
• In addition, Japanese Encephalitis (JE vaccine) vaccine was introduced in 112 endemic districts in campaign mode in phased manner from 2006-10 and has now been incorporated under the Routine Immunisation Programme.

Immunization in infants and children a must to avoid hearing disabilities

Immunization in infants and children a must to avoid hearing disabilities Childhood hearing loss goes undetected mostly due to lack of awareness and appropriate interventions New Delhi, 18 August 2017: As per recent reports, about 5% of the world's population suffers from disabling hearing loss, of which 32 million are children. About 6.3% of the Indian population suffers from hearing impairment and this percentage includes roughly 50 lakh children. As per the IMA, most of these hearing problems can be prevented through immunization against various diseases, by controlling noise pollution, and regulating the use of certain medicines. Deafness is primarily of two kinds. Nerve deafness is caused due to sound pollution and problems during birth. Conductive deafness is a result of socio-economic factors such as poor hygiene and lack of treatment, leading to chronic infection and deafness. Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr RN Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said, “It is alarming to note that the number of infants and youngsters with hearing impairment has increased substantially over the last few years. Hearing impairment is not recognizable easily during infancy and therefore is highly neglected. The need of the hour is to educate people and create awareness that hearing loss can be combated through early identification and appropriate intervention. Apart from congenital defects, hearing loss can also be the result of external factors. It is imperative to control these with support from a good healthcare system and control over noise levels.” Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) is a medical test for early detection of congenital hearing loss. India still lacks such a system that can identify congenital hearing problems in infants. Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, “There is a lack of communication, low awareness, and lack of understanding about the importance of early diagnosis and intervention in case of a hearing loss. Delay in identifying this condition can affect language acquisition, social interaction, emotional development, and education in children. Neonatal hearing screening for every newborn is a must and highly recommended.” Here are some ways to prevent hearing loss in infants. • Avoid any shock and trauma to the ears as it can cause severe damage to the ear drums resulting in loss of hearing. • Ensure that water does not enter the infant’s ears while bathing. • Get them medically tested as early detection can lead to better treatment outcomes. • Never insert any sharp object in the infant’s ears. • Keep them away from loud music or other sounds as this can impact their hearing capability. Loud music causes acoustic trauma. • Make sure that children are immunized against infections like measles, mumps, rubella, and meningitis as per schedule. These infections can also cause hearing loss in children.

Every child has the right to immunization

Every child has the right to immunization Estimates indicate that about 3 million deaths can be prevented annually with timely vaccination New Delhi, April 29, 2017: According to statistics, about 19.4 million children over the world are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. Of these, about 11.5 million live in 10 countries: Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Ukraine. It is estimated that about 3 million deaths can be prevented annually through Immunization, which is one of the world's most successful and cost-effective health interventions. The theme for this year’s World Immunization Week focuses on the adage "Vaccines Work". The theme has been taken up to promote the use of vaccines in order to protect people of all ages from various diseases. As per the United Nations health agency, vaccinations helps in staving off 26 potentially deadly diseases. This year, the World Immunization Week also marks the halfway point of the UN's goal to stop millions of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. Speaking on this, Padma Shri Awardee Dr K K Aggarwal, National President Indian Medical Association (IMA) and President Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) and Dr R N Tandon – Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement, said "Immunization is the building block of a strong and sustainable primary health care system and universal health coverage. With the development of new vaccines today, more and more number of people, children in particular, can be protected against many debilitating diseases. However, the mere availability of vaccines does not mean that they are reaching every child in every part of the world. On this World Immunization Week, it is time to align ourselves to the larger goal of reaffirming our global commitment to children’s health and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030." According to WHO, the fact that the target of 194 countries which signed the global action plan to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases by 2020, is running behind schedule, should serve as a wake-up call for immediate action. Among the preventable diseases are measles, rubella, and maternal and neonatal tetanus. A more concentrated effort is needed towards achieving the target. Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, said, "It is unfair to deny any child the right to immunization because of social or economic reasons. If the countries come together and act in unison towards achieving this goal, all barriers can be overcome." Thousands of events and activities are also being organized around the world as part of the World Immunization Week. WHO has also created a network of validated vaccine safety websites called Vaccine Safety Net, which provides accurate and reliable information about vaccines.

Updated ACIP Immunization Schedule for Adults

Updated ACIP Immunization Schedule for Adults The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released updated immunization schedule for adults aged 19 years or older, United States, which have been published February 7, 2017 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. • ACIP recommends against live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) during the 2016–2017 influenza season. • Adults with a history of egg allergy who have only hives after exposure to egg should receive age-appropriate inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) or recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV). • Healthy adolescents who start their human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) series before age 15 years are recommended to receive 2 doses of HPV. But, for adults and adolescents who did not start their vaccination series before age 15 years, 3 doses are recommended. • Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for adults with chronic liver disease, including, but not limited to, hepatitis C virus infection, cirrhosis, fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level greater than twice the upper limit of normal. • A 2-dose primary series of serogroups A, C, W, and Y meningococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended for adults with HIV infection. • Three doses of MenB-FHbp are recommended for adults at increased risk for meningococcal disease and for use during serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreaks, while 2 doses have been recommended for healthy adolescents and young adults who are not at increased risk for meningococcal disease. (Source: Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(3):209-219)