National Immunization Day is celebrated every year on March 16. National Immunization Day, also called National Vaccination Day, is observed to convey the importance of vaccination.
It was on this day, March 16, in 1995 that the first dose of Oral Polio vaccine was given in India.
The National Immunization Day is important this year as India has started the COVID-19 vaccination for adults between 15 to 18 years of age and booster dose for senior citizens.
Vaccination, or immunization, is the most effective method of preventing highly infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening infectious diseases.
The impact of vaccination is not limited to improvement in health and life expectancy but also has a social and economic impact at the community and national level.
What is the meaning of Vaccination?
Even though the vaccination day is also known as immunization day, there is a significant difference between the two that not many people are aware of.
Vaccination refers to the act of getting a vaccine; however, immunization means being immune against a particular disease by being vaccinated.
To maintain the primary health ratio of a country, vaccination plays a significant role. Hence, celebrating National vaccination day is undoubtedly really important.
The entire world is getting to know the importance of vaccination, and in 2021 even the World Health organization emphasized the investment in vaccines significantly and how countries can provide vaccinations to all the people and in every region.
Importance of Vaccination:
The entire country is hustling right now to get a slot for vaccination of covid-19. But earlier, people did not know about the importance of vaccines that they understand now.
Vaccination helps in preventing the spread of diseases, and it makes people immunized against particular diseases. Vaccination is entirely safe and effective, and they help your body fight against bacteria and germs.
In the long term, vaccines do not have any side effects on the body, but it depends on person to person. People who already have severe health issues should carefully take vaccinations.
In the general public, you may also see few short-term side effects such as redness on the place where the person is injected, mild fever, and pain in hand. However, these side effects also happen based on the immune system of the patient.
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History of National Immunization Day 2022:
Modern immunization developed in India in the 19th Century. India has launched its first vaccine Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) over 50 years ago to combat Tuberculosis.
In 1978, an expanded programme was launched and it included vaccines against Typhoid and DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus).
In 1985, the same programme was modified and it became the Universal immunizationProgramme (UIP) and was implemented in a phased manner.
National Immunization Day 2022: Facts
- Mission Indradhanush was launched under UIP in December 2014 to better the health of mothers and children who are deprived of vaccination
- Intensified Mission Indradhanush was launched with the aim of further intensifying the immunization programme in 2019
- Intensified Mission Indradhanush aims at achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of ending preventable child deaths by 2030
- India, this year, has started the COVID-19 booster dose programme for senoir citizens and vaccination programme for adults aged between 15 to 18 years.
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