The Government proposes to include Hepatitis B in the schedule under the National Immunization Programme.

Hepatitis B disease does not have any effective treatment but there is a highly safe and effective vaccine, which can prevent hepatitis B infection and its serious consequences like liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Administering Hepatitis B vaccine to all infants in National Immunization Programme would save more than 1.5 million (15 lakhs) chronic Hepatitis B infections and more than 0.2 million (2 lakhs) deaths due to Hepatitis B.

The country would need more than 6 million doses of Hepatitis B vaccine per year. To vaccinate all infants the country would require approx 100 million doses.

At present five-vaccine manufacturing institutions are manufacturing the Hepatitis B vaccine in the country. The combined installed capacity of the five institutions is 5160 lakhs doses per annum.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Source-PIB
LIN/J