cover story
Women and Child Welfare was
also elicited for making
Mission Indradhanush a
successful campaign.
To bridge the awareness gap, a
communication campaign with a
360 degree approach was
designed to increase the visibility
of the program and the campaign.
Communication planning was
conducted from the national,
state, district to community levels.
The Mission also highlighted the
contribution of the health
workers, critical to the
programme’s success. Special
media material was designed with
a call to action to
#FullyImmunizeEveryChild.
Improved social mobilization
activities, including disseminating
communication and awareness
material like hoardings, posters,
banners, video and audio spots,
inter-personal communication
activities like mothers’ meetings
etc. were conducted. For the first
time, a social movement around
full immunization was created,
giving the UIP, the much needed
boost for visibility and awareness.
The mission was monitored
directly from the national level for
better program implementation
and regular feedback to the states.
Importantly, it brought
accountability, commitment and
dedication for strengthening
routine immunization programme
across the country.
THE RESULTS
The special immunization drives
(Mission Indradhanush Phase 1, 2 &
3) along with routine immunization
sessions, across the country, have
yielded successful results:
1. Nearly 26 lakh additional
immunization sessions have been
conducted (apart from the 1 crore
routine sessions).
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BioVoiceNews | August 2016
2. More than 1.9 crore children were
given lifesaving vaccines during the
Mission Indradhanush drives, while
more than 50 lakh children were
fully immunized.
3. More than 4.8 crore doses
of different vaccines have been
administered across the country
during the Mission
Indradhanush drives
4. More than 50 lakhs pregnant
women were immunized.
The Mission has been successful
in generating demand for
immunization through mass
awareness drives at every level,
with a special focus on
community mobilization and
motivating the health workers.
Along with the highest level of
political advocacy, immunization
partners including WHO, UNICEF
and others, political advocates and
civil society were roped in to
strengthen the mission. Health
system strengthening and
monitoring was carried out through
training the health force at all
levels. Advocacy with community
based influencers such as
Sarpanchs, Pradhans, religious
leaders etc. was done to help the
community overcome the hesitancy
to accept vaccination.
DISEASE RESURGENCE AND
NEED FOR BETTER
SURVEILLANCE
Resurgence of a vaccine
preventable disease in any
community is a sign of decreasing
levels of immunization coverage
or low levels of vaccine uptake.
India also needs a better
surveillance programme of the
disease burden itself so that the
community can be made aware of
the burden of such diseases and
how interrupting immunization
uptake can result in larger
outbreaks. It is of utmost
importance that myths and
rumours be dispelled to ensure
that the right to health of every
child is secured and no one is left
without access to the life-saving
interventions such as
immunization against vaccine
preventable disease.
The final challenge in India’s
immunization programme is the
point of last-mile connectivity.
This is where the real ‘foot
soldiers’ of the Universal
Immunization Programme are
deployed. Auxiliary Nurse
Midwives, ASHAs and Anganwadi
workers help families understand
the importa