India vaccination rate up 18pc in 10 yrs but still trails China, BD

More Indian babies are receiving all basic vaccinations than a decade ago, a sign of better-educated mothers and better healthcare. But India still lags China, which vaccinated more than 90 per cent of its children, and a host of emerging nations, reports business-standard.com Monday.

In 2015-16, 62 per cent Indian children (6 of 10) aged 12-23 months received basic vaccinations, up from 44 per cent a decade ago in 2005-06, according to the latest national health data.

China has vaccinated more than 90 per cent of its children, while Vietnam has vaccinated about 90 per cent, Thailand more than 95 per cent, Bangladesh more than 90 per cent and Sri Lanka more than 95 per cent. Developed nations, such as the US and the UK, vaccinate similar proportions of children as China, while African countries vaccinate about half, according to a monitoring system by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rajasthan (55 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (54 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (51 per cent), and Gujarat (50 per cent) were among the worst 10 performers, along with five of eight north-eastern states, according to the final report of the National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 (NFHS-4), released on January 12, 2018.

"Immunising children against vaccine-preventable diseases can greatly reduce childhood morbidity and mortality," the NFHS-4 report said.