Despite numerous medical
breakthroughs and developments, maternal and child mortality in India continues
to be one of the major health concerns, primarily due to childbirth, inadequate
neonatal care and childhood diseases. A staggering 1.3 million under-5 deaths
are reported each year and a significant number are caused by vaccine
preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles.
India’s Universal Immunization
Program (UIP) is the largest in the world, but only 65% of children receive all
the essential vaccines in their first year of life. According to certain
surveys it is unlikely to reach its Global Immunization Vision and
Strategy goals, which set targets for children reached and new vaccines
adopted.
To help meet these challenges a
great degree of help from the society is required. Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) and platforms such as Alliance for Immunization in India (Aii) can play
a vital role in acting as an intermediary between grass root communities and
the government. Thanks to their healthy and direct links to community, CSOs can
contribute to a great extent in promoting equitable access to vaccines by
informing families about outreach immunization facilities.
The role of CSOs in community
mobilization and awareness is of critical importance in a country where myths
and misconceptions often cloud the truth of the power of vaccines. It is
important to raise awareness through activities such as effective information
dissemination and making special efforts to reach out to those who live in hard-to-reach areas, are migrants
or belong to a culturally diverse background.
Increasing community
participation in immunization program is not only important to raise awareness
but also leads to higher coverage and greatly reduces the incidents of vaccine
preventable diseases. Immunization programs need continued support with proven
strategies and fresh approaches to permit the ‘effective’ introduction of new
vaccines. Here, the emphasis is on ‘effective’-meaning thereby introduction of
a vaccine in to national immunization schedule that has a measurable impact on
the epidemiology of the disease. Merely making the vaccine available in few
pockets, for certain sections and for limited duration will not have any impact
at national level. The ‘equity’ needs to be ensured so that the vaccine reaches
to the section of the society who needs it the most.
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