Explained: Zero-dose children and why India ranks second globally
A recent Lancet report has highlighted a concerning issue: a large number of children in India are missing essential vaccines, including those who have not received even a single shot. These children are referred to as 'zero-dose' children.The report revealed that India has over 1.44 million zero-dose children, the second-highest in the world after Nigeria. These children are part of a larger group across eight countries where most unvaccinated children live.advertisementIn particular, the study highlights the rise in 'zero-dose children", those who did not receive even the first dose of the basic DTP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis).
This raises urgent questions: Who are these children? Why are they being left out? And what can be done to change this?What does 'zero-dose' mean?A zero-dose child is one who has not received even the first dose of the DTP vaccine. This vaccine is a key indicator of access to immunisation services.These children are completely unprotected against common yet life-threatening diseases that vaccines can easily prevent.Zero-dose children often belong to marginalised or hard-to-reach communities. They may live in remote rural areas, urban slums, or regions affected by conflict, poor healthcare infrastructure, and deep social inequality.In many cases, their families may be unaware of vaccination schedules or lack access to nearby health facilities.advertisementWhat's behind India's rising numbers?India has made significant progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases over the past two decades. However, the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted routine immunisation programmes.
A zero-dose child is one who has not received even the first dose of the DTP vaccine. (Photo: Reuters)
Lockdowns, fear of visiting health centres, overburdened hospitals, and the diversion of health resources toward managing the pandemic all contributed to a sharp drop in vaccine coverage, according to the Lancet report.Globally, the number of zero-dose children dropped slightly from 14.3 million in 2022 to 13.9 million in 2023. In India, the number improved from 2.7 million in 2021 to 1.6 million in 2022, but it remains high — especially for a country with a strong public health record, including programmes like Mission Indradhanush.Why does this matter?Children who miss out on vaccines are more likely to fall seriously ill or die from preventable diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria, illnesses that have been nearly eliminated in many parts of the world.advertisementThey also risk spreading these infections to others, particularly babies too young to be vaccinated or those with weakened immune systems.Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available. As India moves toward Universal Health Coverage, closing the gap on zero-dose children must become a top priority.Every missed vaccine is a missed chance at a healthy future and every child left behind is a reminder of the work still to be done.- Ends
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
UK Work Visa Scam: What is it, why has it left migrants stranded and what's the solution? Explained in 5 points
Thousands of migrant workers in the United Kingdom, including Indians, have been left stranded after the Health and Care Worker Visa misfired and scams took over on what was perceived to be a means of generating employment amid a rise in demand. Here is everything you need to know about the Health and Care Worker Visa scam and how the government is tacking it. The now-discontinued Health and Care Worker Visa was introduced by the UK government and allowed medical professionals to come to or stay in the UK to do an eligible job with the NHS, an NHS supplier or in adult social care. The visa was meant to last for five years before applicants could request for an extension. The Health and Care Worker Visa was introduced by Boris Johnson's government in 2020, as the number of vacancies in the social care sector — which looks after the elderly, sick and disabled — soared due to Covid-19, Brexit and an ageing population. Employers were given a fast-track route to recruit staff from abroad by applying for licenses from the Home Office to sponsor workers. However, as a result of few checks done on employers approved for offering sponsorships, a widespread scam soon followed with reports of companies charging hefty amounts of money from applicants, which was illegal under the scheme. Moreover, many employers paid their workers too little, overworked them or gave them no hours at all. The workers were afraid to report their employers as their right to stay was directly tied to their employment in that workplace. After a scrutiny, UKVI began investigating and revoked at least 471 employers' sponsorship licenses. However, that meant over 40,000 migrant employees could no longer work, leaving them in a limbo and in search of an alternative employer. The UK government's initiative to match these exploited migrant care workers with employers has helped less than 4 per cent find jobs, according to a Freedom of Information request, Bloomberg reported. More than 28,000 migrant care workers whose visas were tied to their employer had to be referred to government job-finding 'hubs' between May 2024 and April 2025, according data released by the Home Office in response to an FOI from charity the Work Rights Centre. However, the data showed that only 941, or 3.4 per cent, of the workers reported finding an alternative employment. Emails sent out to displaced workers urging them to visit their local recruitment hub have in many cases gone unanswered, according to one government source quoted by Bloomberg. Many are thought to have gone into so-called 'black market' work such as prostitution in order to make a living, according to another government official. In other cases, employers have rejected workers applying through the hubs because their English language isn't satisfactory, or they fail other requirements.
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Nurses stage protest seeking regularisation of services, equal pay
Nurses affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Nurses Empowerment Association staged a demonstration in Chennai on Thursday, urging the State government to regularise the services of all nurses on consolidated pay, and to implement a court order granting equal pay for equal work. About 250 nurses from across the State took part in the protest. They urged the DMK government to fulfil its election promise to regularise the services of all nurses on consolidated pay. Of the 15,000 nurses who were recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) on consolidated pay, around 8,000 have been regularised so far. The nurses started off with a consolidated pay of ₹7,700 in 2015 and, after several protests, their pay was increased to ₹14,000 in 2018. In 2021, it was increased to ₹18,000 with an annual increment of 5%, according to N. Subin, general secretary of the association. Nurses on regular posts get a salary of nearly ₹60,000 in the city, while those on consolidated pay receive ₹18,000. The court order on equal pay for equal work should be implemented by the government. Similarly, another judgment granting maternity leave and benefits to nurses on consolidated pay should be implemented, he added. The association demanded that permanent posts of nurses should be created in accordance with the patient strength, following the recommendations of the National Medical Commission and Indian Public Health Standards. 'While new district headquarters hospitals are being established, no new posts of nurses are being created. Instead, nurses from other institutions are being diverted,' Mr. Subin said. All the nurses who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whose services were terminated, should be reinstated, the association said. Among other demands, the association demanded the restoring of nursing superintendent grade 3 posts, and fixing of salaries for promotions at seven, 14, 20, and 25 years for nurses.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
As US & UK cut funds to Gavi, millions risk losing access to vaccines
As the United States and United Kingdom have cut billions in funds to Gavi, the global vaccination partnership, millions of people across the world are set to lose access to affordable vaccines and hundreds of thousands are at the risk of dying. read more A woman holds her baby as she receives a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Mavrovouni camp on Lesbos, Greece. (Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters) The United States and the United Kingdom have announced cuts to their donations to Gavi, the global vaccination partnership, putting millions across the world at the risk of losing access to affordable vaccines. While American cuts are rooted in the anti-vaccine stance of the Donald Trump administration, British cuts are a result of diversion of funds from foreign aid towards defence in the wake of the increasing security threats from the likes of Russia and China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior has announced the administration will cut around $300 million in annual donations to Gavi, according to Reuters. The UK has slashed its donations annual contribution to Gavi for the next five years from $438.4 million to $342.5 million, according to The Daily Telegraph. Estimates have said that millions of people across the world are at the risk of losing access affordable vaccines and hundreds of thousands are at the risk of dying as a result of cuts. 350,000 children at risk of dying, says estimate Gavi serves some of the poorest people of the world and they are bound to be hit the hardest. The British cuts alone will threaten 23 million child vaccinations over the next five years and potentially cause 350,000 additional deaths, The Telegraph reported the ONE campaign's estimate as saying. Gavi has been distributing vaccines for diseases like HPV, malaria, yellow fever, COVID-19, Ebola, measles, and typhoid, in some of the poorest communities of the world. It relies on support from countries and philanthropies. British International Development Minister Baroness Jenny Chapman told The Telegraph that the cuts are a result of some 'really tough choices' the government had to make. 'We've had to make some really tough choices. But we've decided as a government that we want to invest in defence, because that's the world we are in When we cut the aid budget, we knew we'd have to cut things that are globally good. Gavi would be something it would be great to put more money into in future and I hope we can, but for today this is a good pledge from the UK,' said Chapman. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD China to gain at cost of US & UK The US vaccine aid cuts are part of the broader foreign aid cuts under the Trump administration. The Trump administration has hollowed out the US AID that ran the foreign aid programme and has withdrawn from large parts of the world, compromising healthcare, nutritional, and developmental programmes in some of the most vulnerable communities in the world. The US withdrawal from the world, particularly in the poor and developing parts of the world, will create a vacuum that China will rush to fill in, making foreign aid cuts a self-goal by Trump, Tej Pratap Singh, a scholar of China at the Department of Political Science, Banaras Hindu University, previously told Firstpost. Humanitarian operations are instruments to peddle soft power the world over and the shutting down of humanitarian operations anywhere is a self-goal, said Singh. 'Developing countries need assistance. If the United States withdraws, China will reach out to these nations and they will be glad to have Chinese support. China has been making inroads in Africa for many years and the US withdrawal is set to increase that. India has been countering Chinese influence in the Global South but countering China needs joint efforts and, in the absence of US involvement, China is set to make good gains,' said Singh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
