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National Vaccination Day It is also known as National Immunisation Day and is observed on March 16th annually to spread awareness about the importance of vaccines. The day also marks the victory of India against polio disease. Take a look at the history, and significance of the day.
National Vaccination Day: Date
- 2025: 16 March, 2025 [Sunday]
- 2026: 16 March, 2026 [Monday]
- 2027: 16 March, 2027 [Tuesday]
- 2028: 16 March, 2028 [Wednesday]
On March 16, 1995, the first oral polio vaccine dose was started in the country. National Vaccination Day is also known as National Immunisation Day. The day spread awareness about the importance of vaccines to the whole country. This year, the day is important because the country started its biggest COVID-19 immunization program early this year. Already, the country has crossed the 30 million mark.
When is National Vaccination Day?
National Vaccination Day or National Immunisation Day is observed on March 16 annually. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination has gained paramount significance. Let’s take a look at the brief history and significance of the day. The day aims to raise awareness about the value of vaccinations in the healthcare system. Also, it serves the purpose to aware people about the effectiveness of vaccines at preventing fatal diseases.
History:
It is observed on March 16 every year, as on the same day in 1995, the first dose of Oral Polio Vaccine was given in India. Therefore, the day celebrates the government of India’s Pulse Polio Campaign. It was an initiative of the government to eradicate polio from the country. According to the program, 2 oral drops were provided to children from ages 0 to 5 years.
In 2011, the last reported case of polio in India was in West Bengal. In 2014, India was declared polio-free. No doubt, over the years, immunization has proved to be the most prominent tool in controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases.
National Vaccination Day: Theme
- 2025: Vaccines for All: Ensuring a Healthier Future
- 2022: Vaccines Work for all
Significance:
Vaccines help in preventing diseases that can be dangerous or even deadly. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the natural defenses of the body to safely develop immunity to disease. Vaccines have become an essential weapon in the fight against deadly diseases like TB, tetanus, etc. in the last few decades. Vaccines have saved several lives. Therefore, National Vaccination Day states the importance of vaccines in today’s world and cannot be ignored. Various vaccination campaigns are running worldwide to defeat deadly or fatal diseases like smallpox, COVID-19, etc.
What is immunization?
It is the process in which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, mainly by the administration of a vaccine. On the other hand, vaccines are those substances that stimulate the immune system of the body to protect the person against subsequent infection or disease.
About Universal Immunization Programme:
In 1978, the Immunisation Programme was introduced in India as the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI). One of its main focuses was on the protection of children from life-threatening conditions that are preventable. It is a major public health intervention in the country and one of the largest immunization programs in the world.
In 1985, the program gained momentum and was expanded as the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) to be implemented in a phased manner to cover all districts in the country by 1989-90.
In 1992, it became a part of the Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme.
Since 1997, activities related to immunization have become an important component of the National Reproductive and Child Health program and are presently one of the main areas under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) since 2005.
Under the Universal Immunisation Programme, the government of India is providing vaccination to prevent seven vaccine-preventable diseases.
Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, a severe form of childhood tuberculosis and hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), and diarrhea are among these diseases.
Vaccines provided under UIP are BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin), OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine), Hepatitis B vaccine, Pentavalent Vaccine, Rotavirus Vaccine, PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine), fIPV (Fractional Inactivated Poliomyelitis Vaccine), Measles / MR vaccine, JE vaccine (Japanese encephalitis vaccine), DPT booster (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis), and Tetanus and adult diphtheria (Td) vaccine.
Popular Quotes:
- We believe unbelievable progress can be made, in both inventing new vaccines and making sure they get out to all the children who need them. ~ Bill Gates
- It’s clear that prevention will never be sufficient. That’s why we need a vaccine that will be safe. ~ Luc Montagnier
- Vaccines save lives; fear endangers them. It’s a simple message parents need to keep hearing. ~ Jeffrey Kluger
- Polio’s pretty special because once you get an eradication, you no longer have to spend money on it; it’s just there as a gift for the rest of time. ~ Bill Gates
- Vaccines are the tugboats of preventive health. ~ William Foege
- Immunization has been a great public health success story. The lives of millions of children have been saved, millions have the chance of a longer healthier life, a greater chance to learn, to play, to read and write, to move around freely without suffering. ~ Nelson Mandela
- Vaccines are a miracle cure. Eight out of 10 children are getting vaccines. ~ Melinda Gates
- No country is safe until every country is safe. ~ Luis Almagro
- Childhood vaccines are one of the great triumphs of modern medicine. Indeed, parents whose children are vaccinated no longer have to worry about their child’s death or disability from whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis, or a host of other infections. ~ Ezekiel Emanuel
- Universal vaccination may well be the greatest success story in medical history. ~ Michael Specter
At present, the government is taking major steps towards the eradication of measles and rubella in India through MR vaccination campaigns for around 324 million children.
