India is one of the worst-hit major economies in child immunisation

India's coverage of the TB vaccine dipped eight percentage points in 2022 - from 92% in 2019 to 84% in 2021

Last week, India had much to celebrate as it completed the administration of 2 billion Covid-19 vaccination doses. The country has so far fully vaccinated over two-thirds of those aged 15 and above since it started its vaccination programme in January 2021. However, recent data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) shows that the country’s performance in child immunisation has slipped in 2021.

Child immunisation slipped in 2021 on most counts compared to the pre-Covid period. Business Standard’s analysis of the Unicef data shows that India was among the worst-hit major economies and, in some cases, the worst among its South Asian peers in terms of child immunisation coverage.

India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) envisages the administration of vaccines to infants and children to prevent seven diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT, taken as one); polio; measles; a severe form of childhood tuberculosis; Hepatitis B; Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib); and diarrhoea.

The pandemic seems to have reversed some of the gains made during the last few years when vaccination coverage was expanded .

For instance, for the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine administered for tuberculosis, India’s coverage dipped eight percentage points in 2022 – from 92 per cent in 2019 to 84 per cent in 2021. For Bangladesh, the coverage remained at 99 per cent in both years. Pakistan’s coverage, too, did not change and remained higher than India at 93 per cent. Nepal witnessed a percentage point drop in coverage from 96 to 95 per cent but remained above India in overall coverage.

Across the world, India was ranked 128th out of 156 countries regarding BCG coverage. Its track record in administering other vaccines was no better. For the measles vaccine, where coverage dipped by six percentage points, India was ranked 144 out of 195 countries. For polio’s third dose, its coverage declined from 90 per cent in 2019 to 85 per cent in 2021. It was ranked 141st among 193 economies.

State-wise data shows that only 76.4 per cent of children in the 12–23-month age group were fully immunised, according to the National Family Health Survey-5 data. 

Also, 15 of the 37 states and Union Territories that fared lower than the national average included some of the country's significant states. Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh had a lower immunisation rate than the national average.