NEW DELHI: The Central government on Saturday said reports claiming that an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in FY 2022-23 are “ill-informed and inaccurate”. The Ministry of Health said that only over 20,000 children have missed their first doses of Measles Containing Vaccine (MCV) in FY 2022-23.
In a statement, the ministry said that there have been some media reports alleging that an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in FY 2022-23, according to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“These reports are not based on facts and do not reflect the true picture. They are based on the estimated number reported under WHO UNICEF Estimates National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2022, which covers the time-period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022,” the statement said.
“However, as per the HMIS (Health Management Information System) of the Union Ministry of Health, a total of 2,63,63,270 children out of the eligible 2,63,84,580 children received their first dose of Measles Containing Vaccine in the FY 2022-23 (April 2022 to March 2023) and only 21,310 children missed their first dose of MCV in 2022-23,” the ministry said in a statement.
Besides, several initiatives have been undertaken by the government in coordination with the states to ensure that all children, either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated receive all missed or due doses.
The catch-up vaccination age for the administration of MCV has been increased from two years to five in the periodic immunisation intensification activities, the ministry said.
Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0 and 4.0 were carried out in 2021 and 2022 to vaccinate all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children with missed or due doses.
Besides this, IMI 5.0 was carried out in 2023 with a special focus to increase the coverage of MR vaccine in children up to the age of five years.
The MR campaign was carried out in Delhi and West Bengal wherein all children in the age group of nine months to 15 years (nine months to five years in Delhi) were vaccinated.