India Vaccination

'Vaccines do not cause autism': Doctors set the record straight on claims

After Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu's remarks reignited the vaccines-autism debate, doctors stress there is no proven link between the two, calling for responsible communication on public health issues

Trump questioned Hep B birth dose. Indian doctors say it's essential

Trump suggested delaying the Hep B vaccine, but Indian experts say the birth dose is proven safe, essential, and the best defence against mother-to-child infection in the country

Confused by new US vaccine rules for kids? What Indian parents should know

A US panel has restricted MMRV shots for kids under 4 and delayed advice on hepatitis B jabs for newborns-here's how India's vaccine policy compares and what Indian parents should do

India refutes Lancet report, says unvaccinated child rate now lower

A recent Lancet report had grouped India among eight countries having more than half of the world's zero dose children as of 2023

India among 8 nations with half of world's unvaccinated children: Study

India was among the eight countries where more than half the unvaccinated children from around the world lived as of 2023, an analysis published in The Lancet journal showed, "emphasising persistent inequities." Providing global estimates of current vaccine coverage, the study found that the same year, there were 15.7 million children -- 1.44 million in India -- who had received no doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine in their first year. An international team of researchers forming the 'Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 Vaccine Coverage Collaborators' updated global, regional, and national estimates of routine childhood vaccine coverage from 1980 to 2023 for 204 countries and territories. In 1980, 53.5 per cent of children who had never received a routine childhood vaccine, or 'zero-dose' children, lived in just five countries -- India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh --, they said. Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and ...

Child deaths down, vaccinations up-but India's health fight isn't over

India is closing gaps in child mortality, immunisation, and maternal mortality under SDG 3, but must tackle malnutrition, NCDs, and rural health gaps to stay on track for 2030 targets

India's HPV vaccine rollout brings cervical cancer prevention closer

Studies show that widespread HPV vaccination can reduce infection rates by up to 90% and could nearly eliminate cervical cancer in the coming decades

India's first dengue vaccine TAK-003 to launch in 2026: Check details here

Qdenga (TAK-003), India's first dengue vaccine, expected to launch in 2026 after local trials; WHO-approved jab offers two-dose protection against all four dengue strains

World Immunisation Week 2025: Vaccines save 6 lives a minute, says WHO

World Immunisation Week 2025: WHO's global health campaign reaffirms the power of vaccines in protecting lives and communities; here's all you need to know

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

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 Indradhan

U-WIN decoded: Govt's online vaccine portal for pregnant women, children

The U-WIN portal aims to create an electronic registry of routine immunisations for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunisation Programme

Health ministry trashes Unicef's report on high 'zero dose children'

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday said media reports stating that India has a high number of 'zero dose children', who did not receive any vaccine, in comparison to other countries based on UNICEF report depicts an incomplete picture of the country's immunization data. The ministry said they do not factor in the population base and immunization coverage of the countries compared. The accurate and complete narrative of the immunization efforts of the government can be gauged through comprehensive understanding of the relative data and programmatic interventions, the ministry added. The percentage coverage for all antigens in India is higher than the global average. In India, for most of the antigens, the coverage is more than 90 per cent, which is at par with other high-income countries such as New Zealand (DTP-1 93 per cent), Germany and Finland (DPT-3 91 per cent), Sweden (MCV-1 93 per cent), Luxembourg (MCV-2 90 per cent), Ireland (PCV-3 83 per cent), United Kingdom of Great

Population of country not considered in the latest WHO-Unicef data

India's population, which is many times more than several nations, has not been taken into account while comparing children's vaccination data with 19 other countries in the latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunisation coverage (WUENIC), official sources have said. They asserted that India is steadfast in its commitment to reduce the number of zero-dose children. "Even though India has the second highest (number of) zero-dose children in the world, it accounts for 0.11 per cent of the country's total population," Union health ministry sources said on Tuesday. The sources were reacting to the WUENIC data released on Monday which stated that India had the second highest number of children, nearly 16 lakh, who did not receive any vaccine in 2023, just after Nigeria with 21 lakh zero-dose children. "The comparison is flawed as the base population has not been taken into consideration," a source said. The WUENIC data showed that India's rank improved from 2021 when the coun

Bharat Biotech, Bilthoven Biologicals collaborate for oral polio vaccines

Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said it has collaborated with the Netherlands-based Bilthoven Biologicals B.V, a wholly-owned arm of Serum Institute of India, to strengthen production and supply security of oral polio vaccines. An agreement has been signed between the two partners under which Bharat Biotech will procure drug substances for the production of oral polio vaccines (OPVs) to be supplied within India and globally, the company said in a statement. Through this collaboration, Bharat Biotech and Bilthoven Biologicals (BBio) will jointly obtain regulatory approvals and licences required to commercially manufacture OPVs in India for global supplies from drug substances manufactured in the Netherlands at BBio, it added. "This collaboration...exemplifies cooperation between vaccine companies, ensuring a secure supply of oral polio vaccines and fortifies the nation's mission to eradicate polio," Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman Krishna Ella said. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar ...

National Vaccination Day 2024: History, importance and more about this day

National Vaccination Day is celebrated every year in India on 16 March to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work of frontline health care workers to ensure the vaccination of every child

Covid-19 JN.1 variant update: India registers 63 cases of new strain

JN.1 Covid- 19 variant: The Karnataka government on Monday said 34 cases of Covid-19's variant JN.1 have been found in the state so far

India on alert as JN.1 Covid variant emerges, active cases surge to 1,828

MoH issues advisories to states. Karnataka brings back mask rule for senior citizens after Kerala sees spike in cases

National Vaccination Day 2023: Know Importance of March 16, Theme, Quotes

National Vaccination Day celebrates Pulse Polio Immunization Programme launched in 1995 to fight a disease that has now been eradicated in the country

Acceptance of Covid vaccines increased globally to 79.1% in 2022: Study

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines increased globally, from 75.2 per cent in 2021 to 79.1 per cent in 2022, according to a survey in 23 countries that represent more than 60 per cent of the world's population. The study underlines a wide variability among countries and the need for tailored communication strategies in addressing vaccine hesitancy. It was led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Spain, and the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), US. However, vaccine acceptance decreased in eight countries and almost one in eight vaccinated respondents, particularly younger men and women, were hesitant about receiving a booster dose, the study said. The findings have been published in Nature Medicine. "The pandemic is not over, and authorities must urgently address vaccine hesitancy and resistance as part of their COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategy," says Jeffrey V Lazarus, Head of the Health Systems ...

With the flu season here, should you ask for an influenza vaccine?

Demand for flu vaccine weak in India; US facing worst season in a decade