THE RESURRECTION

THE COVID-19 VACCINATION DRIVE FOR CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 18 MIGHT REVIVE INDIA'S STUTTERING PROGRAMME OF MASS INOCULATION OF ADOLESCENTS AGAINST OTHER DISEASES

- NEETU CHANDRA SHARMA

VACCINES RECOMMENDED FOR INCLUSION IN INDIA’S UIP

Several vaccines for adolescents and adults are recommended for inclusion in India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), but not much traction has happened

• Tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine
• Human papilloma-virus (HPV) vaccine
• Mumps/MMR vaccine
• Hepatitis-A vaccine
• Typhoid vaccine
• Varicella/ chickenpox vaccine
• Hepatitis-B vaccine
• Meningococcal disease vaccine

SOURCE: BT RESEARCH

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has changed humankind in far-reaching ways— from the way we shop to the way we work to the way we unwind. Maybe even the way we approach disease prevention. For the adolescent population, if the response to India’s mass immunisation programme is anything to go by, getting a jab has become part of their ‘to do’ list.

India has perhaps never rolled out as massive a vaccination programme for its adolescent population as it has during the Covid-19 pandemic. As of April 21, more than 25.3 million adolescents had received their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the Union health ministry. This, perhaps, sets the stage for a dedicated inoculation programme for adolescents for vaccine-preventable diseases or VPDs; it is also a signal to the pharma industry to invest in this space, considering the high uptake of Covid-19 vaccines. But more on that later.