National Immunization Day 2024: Promoting Vaccination and Saving Lives

Q: Why is National Immunization Day important?

National Immunization Day helps protect children and adults from serious diseases by boosting immunity through vaccines.

We have accomplished significant strides in managing and eliminating dangerous infectious diseases because of the effectiveness of immunization, making it critical to commemorate National Immunization Day to continue this progress and ensure a healthy future for everyone.

National Immunization Day (NID) is marked on March 16 every year. This year 2024, the theme of the event is to promote vaccination and raise awareness about the crucial role of immunization in preventing infectious diseases. The day highlights the importance of vaccination in safeguarding public health.

Historical Milestones: Fighting Polio and Beyond

On this day in 1995, the first dose of the oral polio vaccine was administered in India, marking a key milestone in the fight against polio. Vaccination remains the most effective method of prevention against highly contagious diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) designates multiple NIDs throughout the year to combat deadly diseases like polio, measles, and tetanus and ultimately eradicate them.

Immunization: A Proven Tool for Preventing and Eliminating Life-threatening Infectious Diseases

Vaccination is crucial for improving public health and life expectancy standards and increasing social and economic effects at the local and national levels. The core objective of NID is to vaccinate as many individuals as possible against specified diseases in a short period of time.

NID campaigns are crucial in reducing the number of cases of fatal diseases such as polio. Vaccines also help eradicate pandemics such as COVID-19, which has infected millions of individuals over the past two years. On World Immunization Day, it is vital to educate people about the importance of getting vaccinated.

Benefits of vaccination and how it helps to protect vulnerable populations

Vaccination offers massive benefits to individuals and communities, especially vulnerable groups such as young children, older people, and those with compromised immune systems. Vaccination protects vulnerable groups in the following ways:

Prevents the Spread of Infectious Diseases

Vaccination is the most effective method for infection prevention for cases of polio, measles, and COVID-19. Those who receive a vaccine develop immunity to the disease, making it less likely that they will contract and spread the illness to others.

Vaccines protect individuals from severe conditions and the possible long-term consequences of contracting an infectious disease. HERD IMMUNITY- When a sufficient number of people in a community have been immunized, herd immunity is established, making it more difficult for the infection to spread, ultimately protecting the community from the risk of an outbreak.

Reduces the Burden of Disease

Vaccines have been instrumental in reducing the incidence of many infectious diseases like polio, smallpox, influenza, etc, resulting in fewer hospitalizations, medical interventions, and less economic burden associated with treating and managing the disease.

Decreased Healthcare Costs Associated with Treating Infectious Diseases

The financial impact of infectious disease treatment can be high for individuals and healthcare systems. Vaccination lowers the expense of treating and managing infectious diseases by avoiding the spread of these diseases.

Promotes Herd Immunity Within Communities

When a mass number of people in a community are immunized, herd immunity develops, making it more difficult for the disease to spread. This protects those vaccinated and those who cannot receive vaccines for medical reasons, such as infants or individuals with weakened immune systems.

The importance of National Immunization Day

National Immunization Day (NID) is an essential day for promoting vaccination and raising awareness about the value of immunization. Know the main reasons why NID is important:

Eradicating deadly diseases
Reaching vulnerable populations
Promoting vaccine awareness
Strengthening healthcare systems
Saving lives

Importance of Continued Vaccination Efforts Made Through NID Campaigns

Continued vaccination efforts are critical to sustaining the gains made through National Immunization Day (NID) campaigns. While NID campaigns can provide an essential boost to vaccination coverage in the short term, sustained efforts are needed to maintain high levels of coverage and prevent disease outbreaks over the long term. Know the key reasons why continued vaccination efforts are essential:

Preventing disease outbreaks
Protecting vulnerable populations
Maintaining herd immunity
Improving public health outcomes
Responding to emerging threats

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National Immunization Schedule (NIS) for Infants, Children and Pregnant Women

Vaccine	When to give	Dose	Route	Site
For Pregnant Women
TT-1	Early in pregnancy	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Upper Arm
TT-2	4 weeks after TT-1*	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Upper Arm
TT- Booster	If received 2 TT doses in a pregnancy within the last 3 yrs*	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Upper Arm
For Infants
BCG	At birth or as early as possible till one year of age	0.1ml (0.05ml until 1 month age)	Intra-dermal	Left Upper Arm
Hepatitis B - Birth dose	At birth or as early as possible within 24 hours	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Antero-lateral side of mid-thigh
OPV-0	At birth or as early as possible within the first 15 days	2 drops	Oral	Oral
OPV 1, 2 & 3	At 6 weeks, 10 weeks & 14 weeks (OPV can be given till 5 years of age)	2 drops	Oral	Oral
Pentavalent	1, 2 & 3	At 6 weeks, 10 weeks & 14 weeks (can be given till one year of age)	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular
Rotavirus#	At 6 weeks, 10 weeks & 14 weeks(can be given till one year of age)	5 drops	Oral	Oral
IPV	Two fractional dose at 6 and 14 weeks of age	0.1 ml	Intradermal two fractional dose	Intra-dermal: Right upper arm
Measles /MR 1st Dose$	9 completed months-12 months.(can be given till 5 years of age)	0.5 ml	Sub-cutaneous	Right upper Arm
JE - 1**	9 completed months-12 months.	0.5 ml	Sub-cutaneous	Left upper Arm
Vitamin A	(1st dose)	At 9 completed months with measles-Rubella	1ml (1 lakh IU)	Oral
For Children
DPT booster-1	16-24 months	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Antero-lateral side of mid-thigh
Measles/ MR 2nd dose $	16-24 months	0.5 ml	Sub-cutaneous	Right upper Arm
OPV Booster	16-24 months	2 drops	Oral	Oral
JE-2	16-24 months	0.5 ml	Sub-cutaneous	Left Upper Arm
Vitamin A***(2nd to 9th dose)	16-18 months. Then one dose every 6months up to the age of 5 years.	2ml (2 lakh IU)	Oral	Oral
DPT Booster-2	5-6 years	0.5 ml.	Intra-muscular	Upper Arm
TT	10 years & 16 years	0.5 ml	Intra-muscular	Upper Arm

Conclusion

National Immunization Day is a cornerstone in global health efforts, highlighting the transformative impact of vaccination in saving lives and safeguarding communities against infectious diseases. Sustained vaccination efforts are imperative to build on the achievements of NID campaigns and ensure a healthier future for generations to come.

Get a Vaccine Shot, Be Safe!