Centre to introduce 4 new vaccines for infants in January 2016

Pune: The Union government will introduce four new vaccines for infants in the country from January next year.
The initiative is part of Mission Indradhanush - a flagship program to immunize children against preventable diseases and reduce infant mortality, said Union minister of Health and Family welfare, J P Nadda .

The vaccines will include those preventing rubella, Japanese encephalitis, measles and the Rotavirus vaccine among others. Nadda was speaking at the second national conference on women's health organized by city-based Sharada Shakti.

Mission Indradhanush targets to immunize all children against seven vaccine preventable diseases which include diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B.

Others who were present at the conference include Rama Jayasundar from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, Computer scientist Vijay Bhatkar, Executive Director of the Serum Institute of India Adar Poonawalla among others.

Nadda said between 2009 and 2013, immunization coverage in the country increased from 61% to 65%, indicating only 1% increase in coverage every year. The immunization coverage will now be expanded from 65% to 90% children in the next three years, he added.