"Flawed Comparison": Government On UNICEF Report Stating 'Higher Zero Dose Children' (Photo @Pixabay)

India’s Health Ministry on Thursday dismissed a report suggesting that the country has a large number of ‘zero dose children. Zero-dose children are defined as those who lack access to or are never reached by routine immunization services through vaccination by the World Health Organization (WHO).

A recent UNICEF report stated that the India has a higher number of children who did not receive any vaccine, in comparison to other countries. The report also claimed that the country is among the world’s ten worst countries, including Nigeria, Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Indonesia, Angola, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in ‘zero dose children.’

Read Also: 1.6 Million Children In India Unvaccinated In 2023, Says UNICEF

The Union Health Ministry, in a press release, clarified that the report showed an incomplete image, and it did not factor in the population base and immunization coverage of the countries compared, and noted that it was a flawed comparison with other countries. The report did not consider India’s population and high vaccination coverage, accordingly.

The statement said that Zero Dose children account only for 0.11% of the country’s total population given the large population size of India, emphasising that India has the highest number of vaccinated children across the countries.

“Full Immunization Coverage of the country for FY 2023-24 stands at 93.23%. India’s Immunisation Programme is the Largest Public Health Initiative globally, targets a massive cohort of 2.6 crore children and 2.9 crore pregnant women, annually through 1.2 crore vaccination sessions Under Mission Indradhanush, 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women have been vaccinated, till 2023,” reads an X post by the Union Health Ministry.

Read Also: Budget 2024: Health Allocation Under Modi Government In Last 10 Years

The release also shared a comprehensive data that included graphs and statistics of the country’s vaccination, noting that the accurate and complete narrative of the Immunization efforts of the Government can be gauged through comprehensive understanding of the relative data and programmatic interventions.

For most of the antigens, the coverage in India is more than 90 per cent, which is equivalent to other high-income countries such as New Zealand (DTP-1 93 per cent), Germany and Finland (DPT-3 91 per cent), Sweden (MCV-1 93 per cent), Luxembourg (MCV-2 90 per cent), Ireland (PCV-3 83 per cent), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (RotaC 90 per cent).

Additionally, the statement presented a detailed data of the country’s vaccinations efforts, showing India’s actual position in the w0rld’s ranking.