National full immunisation coverage at 93.5%; Lakshadweep, J-K top list

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The national full immunisation coverage for 2023-24 was 93.50 per cent, with Lakshadweep and Jammu and Kashmir topping the list, according to the Source Health Management Information System.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav said Lakshadweep (108.79 per cent) and Jammu and Kashmir (108.66 per cent) were followed by Telangana (106.13 per cent), Delhi (105.03 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (101.26 per cent), Mizoram (101.10 per cent) and Maharashtra (101.04 per cent).

Immunisation coverage was above 95 per cent in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Jharkhand Gujarat, Chandigarh and Chhattisgarh during this period.

The coverage was the lowest in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu at 48.03 per cent.

According to health ministry sources, some states and Union territories had figures higher than 100 per cent because of increased coverage by catch-up campaigns such as Intensified Mission Indradhanush and immunisation of migrant populations.

Under the universal immunisation programme, all eligible children up to the age of two are administered vaccination doses, according to the immunisation schedule.

Jadhav said in his reply that Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush were special catch-up campaigns conducted at regular intervals to ensure vaccination of left-out and dropped-out children and pregnant women in areas of low immunisation coverage.

The government encourages states and Union territories to have model immunisation centres. Immunisation camps are also conducted in the states, based on requirements.

Model immunisation centres are already operational in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and in the Union territories of Chandigarh and Ladakh, Jadhav stated.