One of the most successful public health interventions in contemporary human history, vaccinations have aided the world in eradicating multiple diseases and brought many others to the brink of elimination. It saves 2 to 3 million lives each year from diseases such as tetanus, influenza, measles and diphtheria. Not only are vaccines critical for preventing infectious diseases, but also for controlling the severity and spread of such diseases.
The pandemics of the past have taught us the rarity of a vaccine to be developed in less than five years. Nevertheless, in 2020, the world found itself in a race against time to develop and deliver vaccination against the novel coronavirus. The targeted timeline for creating a vaccine for COVID-19 was pegged at 12 to 18 months. However, within one year of beginning research, more than half a dozen vaccines have been approved, and several are near approval for emergency mass use.
India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive may derail its mother-child immunisation programme
As sytems are diverted for Covid-19, they may get too strained to handle the routine immunisation programmes, warn experts. Mar 04, 2021 · 01:30 pm India’s immunisation programme for 12 diseases, which targets 2.67 crore infants and 2.9 crore mothers, is one of the world’s largest. | Reuters/ Amit Dave
India’s Covid-19 vaccination target of delivering up to
50 crore doses by July, which is largely piggy-backing on the country’s existing routine immunisation programme, may strain the system, public health professionals warn.
India’s
largest. The country has also started the world’s
largest Covid-19 immunisation programme this year. Both these programmes are being implemented in parallel, using much of the
Sheth) The behavioral tools of choice architecture, message framing, addressing cognitive biases, and creating norms can be powerful arsenals in the policy-makers tool kit to influence pro-vaccination behavior for the COVID-19 disease. Although widespread vaccinations can help address the COVID-19 pandemic in India, multiple barriers may limit vaccine uptake. In light of the country s goal of inoculating approximately 1.3 billion people within a year, this article applies insights from behavioural economics in the context of vaccination hesitancy and acceptance in India, focusing on strategies for bridging the intention-action gap. It also offers recommendations to policymakers and healthcare practitioners to help increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
Updated Jan 19, 2021 | 17:43 IST
The fact that the rate of immunisation was only half of what was expected per session suggests that vaccine hesitancy continues to permeate at high rates through the Indian population. Representational image. | Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
It hasn t helped that several notable political leaders have also worked to erode trust in the scientific community
India s Universal Immunisation Programme – the largest in the world – has encountered vaccine hesitancy for years stemming from various causes
A December 2018 study across 121 high priority districts chosen by the Health Ministry also revealed that nearly a quarter of parents refused to vaccinate their children under the belief that vaccines caused more harm than good
Updated Jan 12, 2021 | 10:44 IST
Co-WIN, based on five modules, is effectively an upgraded version of the government s Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) launched in 2015 and used for India s Universal Immunisation Programme. A health worker uploads her details on the Co-WIN app during the dry run of Covid-19 vaccination at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow. | Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
eVIN was originally designed to closely monitor vaccine inventories at inoculation centres, reduce spoilage of vaccines as a result of poor cold storage, and maximise availability to children and pregnant women
The app is set to serve as an end-to-end solution for vaccine management and distribution and includes tracking features that allow officials to closely monitor how vaccines are transported from the manufacturer to the recipient