India sees sharpest drop in polio vaccination since 1990s, shows data

Most immunisation programmes witnessed a decline in 2020; India was worst among South Asia and, in some cases, one of the worst significant economies in the world

As the Modi government finally offers Covaxin jabs to young adults in the age group of 15 to 18 years, India’s non-Covid immunisation programme since the onset of the pandemic seems to have taken a backseat. 

Data released by Unicef shows that the immunisation programme in the country suffered its worst hit in 2020, as coverage declined across all major vaccination programmes. Under India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) operationalised in the late 1980s, vaccines are administered to infants and children to prevent seven diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, severe form of childhood tuberculosis and Hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenza type B