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Mother and Child Health – Immunization Program, BPBB, PMJSY, PMMSY, etc.

Lessons from India’s Vaccination Drive

Explained | Social Justice | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

Introduction

Vaccination is among the most effective and cost-efficient public health measures, credited with saving millions of lives globally. India, with its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), runs the world’s largest vaccination campaign annually, covering over 2.6 crore infants and 2.9 crore pregnant women. From eliminating polio and maternal/neonatal tetanus to spearheading COVID-19 vaccine development, India has emerged as a global leader in immunisation. Yet, challenges remain in ensuring last-mile delivery, tackling vaccine hesitancy, and integrating disease surveillance with vaccination systems.

Expanding Reach through Mission Indradhanush

  1. Mission Indradhanush (MI): Launched in 2014 to achieve 90% full immunisation coverage, up from 62% in 2014 (NFHS-4).
  2. Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI): Began in 2017, targeting low-coverage and missed populations.
  3. Impact: By 2023, 12 phases of MI/IMI had vaccinated 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women.
  4. Integration: Linked with Gram Swaraj Abhiyan and Extended Gram Swaraj Abhiyan for greater outreach.

What Has India Achieved through UIP?

  1. Decline in Mortality: Under-5 mortality dropped from 45 to 31 per 1,000 live births (2014–2021, SRS 2021).
  2. Expanded Vaccination Basket: 6 new vaccines added in the last decade (e.g., Rotavirus, Pneumococcal Conjugate, Measles-Rubella).

Disease Elimination Milestones:

  1. Polio-free since 2011.
  2. Maternal and neonatal tetanus eliminated in 2015.
  3. Yaws eradicated in 2016.
  4. Recognition: Measles and Rubella Champion Award (2024).

What Challenges Continue to Plague India’s Vaccination Efforts?

  1. Remote Populations: Hard-to-reach and migratory groups remain under-covered.
  2. Vaccine Hesitancy: Clusters with low awareness and misinformation hinder uptake.
  3. Pandemic Disruption: COVID-19 disrupted routine services, leading to measles outbreaks (2022–2024).
  4. Immunity Gaps: Outbreaks showed clustering of unimmunised children.

How Has Technology Transformed Vaccine Delivery?

Digital Platforms:

  1. U-WIN: End-to-end vaccination record tracking, modeled on Co-WIN.
  2. eVIN & Cold Chain MIS: Real-time vaccine stock and logistics monitoring.
  3. SAFE-VAC: Vaccine safety reporting.

Pandemic Success:

  1. COVID-19 vaccination began Jan 16, 2021.
  2. By Jan 2023: 220 crore doses, 97% with one dose, 90% with both.
  3. Equity & Outreach: Enabled “anytime-anywhere” access for migratory groups.

What Lessons Has India Shared with the World?

  1. Vaccine Maitri: Supported low- and middle-income countries, reflecting Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
  2. Domestic Manufacturing: Self-reliance through Make in India strategy.
  3. Global Leadership: World’s largest vaccine manufacturing hub, shaping global vaccine futures.

Conclusion

India’s vaccination drive demonstrates the transformative power of political will, technological innovation, and community participation. While achievements like polio eradication, COVID-19 vaccine success, and award-winning Measles-Rubella campaigns inspire global emulation, challenges of equity, hesitancy, and surveillance integration demand continued attention. The future lies in adopting a One-Health approach and strengthening linkages between disease surveillance and immunisation to ensure pandemic preparedness and universal vaccine coverage.

PYQ Relevance:

[UPSC 2022] What is the basic principle behind vaccine development? How do vaccines work? What approaches were adopted by the Indian vaccine manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines?

Linkage: This question is important for UPSC as it tests both the scientific principle of vaccine development and India’s capacity to innovate during crises like COVID-19. The article links by showing how vaccines, once developed, were scaled through UIP, Mission Indradhanush, and digital tools like U-WIN, reflecting the bridge between science and governance. It also highlights India’s global role via Vaccine Maitri and WHO recognition, making it a holistic case study for GS 3: Science & Technology and Public Health.

Value Addition

Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

  1. Definition: World’s largest immunisation programme, launched in 1985, providing free vaccines against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.
  2. Coverage: Annually vaccinates 2.6 crore infants and 2.9 crore pregnant women.
  3. Impact: Helped reduce under-5 mortality from 45 to 31 per 1000 live births (2014–21, SRS).
  4. Relevance: Illustrates inclusive public health coverage, state capacity, and preventive healthcare.

Mission Indradhanush (MI) / Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI)

  1. MI (2014): Launched to increase full immunisation coverage from 62% (NFHS-4, 2015–16) to 90%.
  2. IMI (2017): Focused on low-coverage areas and “left-out” children/women.
  3. Outcome: By 2023, 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women vaccinated under 12 phases.
  4. Relevance: Example of targeted governance and convergence with Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.

Zero-dose Outreach

  1. Definition: Identifying and reaching children who have received no vaccines at all (first contact point for immunisation).
  2. Importance: Critical for equity in healthcare since such children often belong to marginalised, remote, or migratory populations.
  3. Relevance: Reflects SDG-3 (Good Health and Well-being) and commitment to leaving no one behind.

U-WIN / eVIN / SAFE-VAC

  1. U-WIN: Successor to Co-WIN, a digital platform for real-time tracking of vaccination for pregnant women and children up to 16 years; enables portability for migrants.
  2. eVIN (Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network): Ensures real-time monitoring of vaccine stocks.
  3. SAFE-VAC: Module for adverse events reporting and ensuring vaccine safety.
  4. Relevance: Showcases digital governance in health → transparent, accountable, efficient delivery.

One-Health Approach

  1. Concept: Integrates surveillance of human, animal, and environmental health systems.
  2. Need: 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (e.g., COVID-19).
  3. Application: Strengthens pandemic preparedness and ties immunisation with wider health surveillance.
  4. Relevance: A forward-looking framework for epidemic resilience and sustainable public health.

Vaccine Maitri

  1. Definition: India’s global vaccine diplomacy initiative during COVID-19, supplying vaccines to 100+ countries.
  2. Impact: Cemented India’s role as “Pharmacy of the World”; strengthened ties with developing countries.
  3. Relevance: Example of health diplomacy, South-South cooperation, and global public good.

Reports & Data

NFHS-4 (2015–16)

  1. Report Name: National Family Health Survey – Round 4.
  2. Finding: India’s full immunisation coverage was 62% in 2014.
  3. Significance: Provided the baseline for Mission Indradhanush.
  4. Relevance: Evidence-based policymaking; highlights gaps in equity and access.

Sample Registration System (SRS) 2021

  1. Finding: Under-5 mortality declined from 45 (2014) to 31 (2021) per 1000 live births.
  2. Significance: Clear evidence of immunisation’s role in improving child survival.
  3. Relevance: Shows how preventive healthcare directly impacts SDG-3 (Health & Well-being).

Measles-Rubella (MR) Campaign (2017–19)

  1. Coverage: 34.8 crore children aged 9 months–15 years vaccinated.
  2. Significance: Largest catch-up campaign globally.
  3. Relevance: Example of mass public mobilisation and vaccine diplomacy readiness.

Key Concepts:

Zero-dose Outreach

  1. Definition: Identifying and immunising children who have not received a single vaccine.
  2. Importance: They represent the most vulnerable clusters (remote, migratory, socio-economically deprived).
  3. UPSC Link: Equity in health, SDG-3, “Leaving no one behind”.

One-Health Lens

  1. Definition: Integrated surveillance of human, animal, and environmental health.
  2. Why: 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic (e.g., COVID-19, Nipah).
  3. Application: Prevents epidemics by connecting immunisation with disease surveillance across ecosystems.
  4. UPSC Link: Pandemic preparedness, sustainable health governance.

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