Three million children in India missed DPT dose in 2020 because of pandemic: Unicef

Source: The post is based on the article “Three million children in India missed DPT dose in 2020 because of pandemic: Unicef” published in Indian Express on 18th July 2022.

What is the News?

According to WHO and UNICEF report, the world recorded the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years.

What are the key findings of the report?

Global findings: Around 25 million children in 2021 alone missed one or more doses of a vaccine called DPT. This is up from 2 million who missed one or more doses in 2020 and 6 million from 2019.

– The percentage of children who received three doses of DPT dropped 5 points to 81% between 2019 and 2021. This represents the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in 30 years.

– Multiple factors are behind the decline including larger numbers of children living in conflict areas, increased misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19-related problems such as reduced services and supply chain disruptions.

Findings related to India: The Covid pandemic impacted India’s immunization programme with an estimated three million children not having received the first dose of the DPT vaccine in 2020.

– Note: India launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0 in February 2022. It is globally the largest vaccination drive reaching out to missed children and pregnant women.