Indian Health Ministry Proposes to Introduce Injectible Inactivated Polio Vaccine

The Indian Ministry of health has been working to achieve the target of immunizing all children below the age of 5. As part of the mission, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has recommended Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) along with the existing oral vaccine as part of the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

Health Minister J P Nadda said that as part of the polio endgame strategy, IPV is to be given as an additional dose at 14th week along with DPT3 and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV3).

Poliomyelitis - About
Polio is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It results in paralysis and generally affects people of all age groups, children being more susceptible

"Government proposes to introduce injectible Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in its ongoing UIP simultaneously with the existing Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) under the UIP," he said.

Nadda said that the government has an action plan to tap digital platforms in order to spread the information and create maximum awareness about government health initiatives.

"The media plan of Health Ministry recognises that one of the means of creating awareness and dissemination of information is social media. Presently the ministry is disseminating information about health initiatives through Twitter and Youtube with regular up gradation," he said.

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He said that the through the directorate of advertising and visual publicity, the ministry has produced digital advertising of some health campaigns.

"Though no estimates are available for assessing the exact number of beneficiary, it is an established fact that the digital communication in addition to print and electronic media, enables the health communication to reach out to a substantial number of citizens who have digital connectivity," Nadda said.

Vaccination During Pregnancy
Healthcare providers should counsel pregnant women about the benefits of receiving the recommended vaccines during pregnancy and also the potential risks it may pose to the developing fetus.

Source-Medindia

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