Health ministry plans to ramp up coverage of rotavirus vaccine

NEW DELHI: Health ministry plans to ramp up coverage of rotavirus vaccine to immunise every child across the 36 states and UTs in the country by September under the 100-day agenda of the government.
The move is aimed at ending morbidity and mortality in children due to diarrhoea by 2022. The vaccine was initially introduced in four states under the government immunization programme in 2016.
Strengthening routine immunisation was an essential investment in children and it would ensure a healthy future for the country, health minister Harsh Vardhan said.
"The Rotavirus vaccine, along with proper sanitation, hand-washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation, will go a long way in reducing mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children," he added.
Vardhan said the government was also committed to increasing the full immunisation coverage and ensuring that the benefit of the life-saving vaccines was provided to every child in the country.
"We stand committed to reducing child deaths and providing a healthier future to our children and the expansion of the Rotavirus vaccine programme under UIP (Universal Immunisation Programme) is a step in that direction," he added.
In India, 37 out of 1,000 children are unable to celebrate their fifth birthday and one of the major reasons for this is diarrheal deaths. Rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoea in children less than five years of age.
It is estimated that Rotavirus causes 8,72,000 hospitalisations, 32,70,000 outpatient visits and estimated 78,000 deaths annually in India.
The vaccine is expected to be available in all the 36 states and Union territories by September.