Immunization protects people against diseases.
What is immunization?
Immunization is the process of giving a vaccine to a person to protect them against disease.
Immunity (protection) by immunization is similar to the immunity a person would get from
disease, but instead of getting the disease you get a vaccine. This is what makes vaccines
such powerful medicine. Most vaccines are given by needle (injection) but some are given
by mouth (orally) or sprayed into the nose (nasally). Immunizations are also called
vaccinations, needles, shots or jabs.
Background note on Immunization:-
Expanded Programme on Immunization was launched in 1978. It was renamed as Universal
Immunization Programme in 1985 when its reach was expanded beyond urban areas. In
1992, it became part of Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme and in 1997 it was
included in the ambit of National Reproductive and Child Health Programme. Since the
launch of National Rural Health Mission in 2005, Universal Immunization Programme has
always been an integral part of it.
Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public health programmes
targeting close of 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women annually.
It is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and largely responsible for
reduction of vaccine preventable under-5 mortality rate.
Under UIP, immunization is providing free of cost against 12 vaccine preventable diseases:
Nationally against 9 diseases – Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Rubella,
severe form of Childhood Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and Meningitis & Pneumonia caused by
Hemophilus Influenza type B
Sub-nationally against 3 diseases – Rotavirus diarrhoea, Pneumococcal Pneumonia and
Japanese Encephalitis; of which Rotavirus vaccine and Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine
are in process of expansion while JE vaccine is provided only in endemic districts.
A child is said to be fully immunized if child receives all due vaccine as per national
immunization schedule within 1st year age of child.
The two major milestones of UIP have been the elimination of polio in 2014 and maternal
and neonatal tetanus elimination in 2015.
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines contain the same germ that causes disease. But the germs in the vaccine have
been killed or weakened so that they do not make you sick. Some vaccines contain only a
part of the germ that causes disease.
When you get immunized, your body is tricked into thinking that it has been infected with the
disease. It makes antibodies that kill the germs. These antibodies stay in your body for a
long time and remember how to fight the germ. If the germs from the disease enter your
body in the future, the antibodies destroy the germs before you can become sick. It is much
safer to get a vaccine than the disease.
Most people are fully protected against the disease after getting immunized. In rare cases,
people who are immunized can still get the disease because they only get partial protection
from the vaccine. This is more common in people with medical conditions that affect the
immune system. Although these people may still get the disease, they will most likely get a
milder sickness and not suffer serious complications.
What is herd immunity (community immunity)?
When enough people in a community are immunized against a disease, the chance of an
outbreak is greatly reduced. This type of community protection is known as ‘herd’ or
‘community’ immunity. To reach herd immunity against a disease, a community must have
between 74 to 95 per cent of the people immunized depending upon the disease.
Indian Government Initiative- Mission Indradhanush
Mission Indradhanush (MI) was launched in December 2014 and aims at increasing the full
immunization coverage to children to 90%.
Under this drive focus is given on pockets of low immunization coverage and hard to reach
areas where the proportion of unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children is highest.
A total of six phases of Mission Indradhanush have been completed covering 554 districts
across the country.
It was also identified as one of the flagship schemes under Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (16,850
villages across 541 districts) and Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (48,929 villages across
117 aspirational districts).
While the first two phases of Mission Indradhanush resulted in 6.7% increase in full
immunization coverage in a year, a recent survey carried out in 190 districts covered in
Intensified Mission Indradhanush (5th phase of Mission Indradhanush) shows 18.5% points
increase in full immunization coverage as compared to NFHS-4 survey carried out in 2015-
16.
