India recorded all-time high of 93% DPT3 immunisation coverage in 2022: WHO

Subject : Science and Technology

Section: Health

Context:

The coverage rate for DPT3, the third dose of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines, in India rose to an all-time of 93% in 2022, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic best of 91% recorded in 2019, and also marking a sharp increase from the 85% recorded in 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Details:

The region also witnessed a six per cent improvement in the coverage of the measles vaccine, rising to 92% in 2022 from 86% in 2021.
In this region, the number of zero-dose children (those that have not received even the first dose of DPT vaccine) halved to 2.3 million in 2022 from 4.6 million in 2021.
The number of partially vaccinated children (those that have received at least one dose of DPT vaccine but did not complete the primary series of three doses) reduced to 6,50,000 in 2022 from 1.3 million in 2021.

What is Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DPT)?

Diphtheria:
- Caused by: Diphtheria is primarily caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
- Symptoms: Common cold, fever, chills, swollen gland in neck, sore throat, bluish skin etc.
- Spread: It is mainly spread by coughs and sneezes, or through close contact with someone infected.
- Target Population: Diphtheria particularly affects children aged 1 to 5 years.
  - Occurrence of diphtheria cases in under-five children reflects low coverage of primary diphtheria vaccination.
Tetanus:
- Caused by: Tetanus is acquired through infection of a cut or wound with the spores of the bacterium Clostridium tetani, and most cases occur within 14 days of infection. Tetanus cannot be transmitted from person to person.
- Prevention: Tetanus can be prevented through immunisation with Tetanus-Toxoid-Containing Vaccines (TTCV). However, people who recover from tetanus do not have natural immunity and can be infected again.
- Symptoms:
  - Jaw cramping or the inability to open the mouth.
  - muscle spasms often in the back, abdomen and extremities.
  - sudden painful muscle spasms often triggered by sudden noises.
  - Seizures.

Pertussis:
- Caused by: Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. In 2018, there were more than 151 000 cases of pertussis globally.
  - The disease is most dangerous in infants, and is a significant cause of disease and death in this age group.
- Spread: Pertussis spreads easily from person to person mainly through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.

About Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTP3) vaccine:

The DTP vaccine is a class of combination vaccines against three infectious diseases in humans: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus.
The vaccine components include diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and either kill whole cells of the bacterium that causes pertussis or pertussis antigens.
Immunisation is an essential component for reducing under-five mortality: Immunisation coverage estimates are used to monitor coverage of immunisation services and to guide disease eradication and elimination efforts.
It is a good indicator of health system performance.

Initiatives:

Intensified Mission Indradhanush: India was quick to prevent further backslide with catchup programmes such as the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3, which reduced the number of children who had not received the first dose from 3 million to 2.7 million in 2021.
- In 2019, 1.4 million children in the country did not receive the first dose.
Indradhanush 4.0: Aiming to immunise every pregnant woman and child, India launched Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0 in 2022.
- It is globally the largest vaccination drive reaching out to missed children and pregnant women.
Universal immunisation programme: Annually, India vaccinates more than 30 million pregnant women and 27 million children through its universal immunisation programme.