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Recent media reports have claimed that approximately 1.1 million children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, citing a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, these reports lack factual accuracy and present an incomplete view. They rely on estimates from the WHO UNICEF Estimates National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) 2022 report, which spans from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.
Contrary to these reports, data from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare indicates that in the fiscal year 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023), out of 263.84 million eligible children, 263.63 million received their first dose of the Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV), with only 21,310 children missing their initial MCV dose in 2022-23.
Furthermore, the government of India has implemented various initiatives in collaboration with states to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage:
- The age limit for catch-up vaccination with the Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV) has been extended from 2 years to 5 years during immunization drives.
- Programs like Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively aimed to vaccinate all partially vaccinated or unvaccinated children with missed doses, especially focusing on MR vaccine coverage in children up to 5 years.
- Special MR campaigns in Delhi and West Bengal achieved over 95% coverage in the specified age groups.
- Several states conducted Supplementary Immunization activities and outbreak response immunizations, benefiting approximately 30 million children with an additional MR vaccine dose.
- A Special Advisory on Outbreak Response Immunization in November 2022 emphasized administering one dose of MRCV to children aged 6 months to < 9 months in areas where measles cases in < 9-month-olds exceeded 10% of total measles cases.
- A discard rate of Non-Measles Non-Rubella (NMNR) vaccines >5.8% signifies a robust surveillance mechanism in the current fiscal year.
India’s steadfast dedication to ensuring universal vaccination under the Universal Immunization Programme has gained global recognition. The country’s leadership in the Regional Measles and Rubella Programme has been praised by the Measles and Rubella Partnership, consisting of organizations like the American Red Cross, BMGF, GAVI, US CDC, UNICEF, and WHO. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, is slated to receive the Measles and Rubella Partnership Champion Award in March 2024 in Washington DC, acknowledging its exceptional contributions.
