Countries must intensify vaccination delivery services: Experts

Noting immunisation averts 2-3 million deaths every year worldwide, experts on Thursday urged all countries to accelerate action to increase awareness for immunisation and further intensify vaccination delivery services.

Terming immunisation essential for healthy development as it prevents illness, disability and death from vaccine-preventable diseases, the experts have said that in 2015, 86 per cent (116 million) of infants worldwide received 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine.

"By 2015, 126 countries had 90 per cent coverage of DTP3 vaccine. Currently there are 19.4 million deaths that are occurring because of unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people," said Rahul Nagpal, Director and Head of Paediatrics and Neonatology at Fortis Hospital.

About other types of vaccinations such as tetanus and rubella, experts have also urged the government to intensify the vaccinations campaigns for such diseases.

"Countries must make more concerted efforts to prevent tetanus as it is one of the most common ways to fall prey to toxins. Tetanus can be characterised as a festering infection which affects the muscles and nervous system of the body. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of reported cases of tetanus are fatal," said Nagpal.

Davinder Gill, CEO of Hilleman laboratories, a global vaccine research and development organisation - called for a comprehensive strategy needs to be implemented to address the challenges that exist in maximising vaccine coverage.

"While there has been improvement in vaccination coverage, a lot of children are still not getting routine immunisations for preventable diseases. To reduce this gap, concentrated efforts have to be made to reach out to communities living in low resource settings," he said.

Hilleman labratories also called for making high quality vaccine affordable.