India Achieves All-Time High of 93% DPT3 Immunization Coverage in 2022: WHO

India Achieves All-Time High of 93% DPT3 Immunization Coverage in 2022: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recently released their estimates for national immunization coverage for 2022. According to these estimates, India achieved a record high of 93% coverage for the third dose of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT3) vaccines. This surpasses the previous best of 91% recorded in 2019 and marks a significant increase from the 85% coverage in 2021.

The WHO and UNICEF review reports and data from Member States to assess immunization coverage. Their estimates are country-specific and take into account potential biases and the expertise of local experts. The high coverage rate for DPT3 in India reflects the success of the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), which provides free immunization against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. UIP is one of the largest public health programs in India, targeting millions of newborns and pregnant women annually.

Additionally, the Mission Indradhanush (MI) initiative, launched in 2014, aims to increase full immunization coverage to 90% by focusing on areas with low coverage and hard-to-reach populations. Several phases of MI have been completed, covering districts across the country. The government also introduced the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) to further enhance immunization efforts.

Globally, immunization services reached approximately 4 million more children in 2022 compared to the previous year. However, an estimated 20.5 million children worldwide remained unvaccinated or under-vaccinated. In India, 1.6 million children were identified as unvaccinated or under-vaccinated for DPT3.

The WHO South-East Asia Region, which includes India, demonstrated the highest immunization coverage improvement among all WHO regions. The efforts made by India and Indonesia contributed to this achievement. It is crucial to address inequities in immunization coverage to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and diphtheria among unvaccinated children.

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