Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030)

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Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) with the support of countries and partners endorsed a new global vision and strategy, called the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) to save over 50 million lives.

About Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030)

• It was launched during World Immunisation Week and is based on learnings from Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). 
• It aims to address the unmet targets of the GVAP that were initially to be fulfilled as part of the global immunisation strategy of the ‘Decade of vaccines’ (2011–2020).
• It sets an ambitious, overarching global vision and strategy for vaccines and immunization for the decade 2021–2030.
• IA2030 goals are designed to inspire action for implementation and support efforts to improve health security, universal health coverage, access and equity for immunization and innovation.

Key Features of Agenda

• It intends to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 50 per cent.
• Zero-dose children are those who have received no vaccines through immunisation programmes.
• The programmes hope to do this by extending immunisation services to 13 million such children. These constitute 65 per cent of more than 20 million infants who do not receive a full course of even basic vaccines and miss out on new vaccines.

•  It also states new approaches to reach unvaccinated children and resolve geographical inequalities.

• It is based on a conceptual framework of seven strategic priorities, to ensure that immunization fully contributes to stronger primary health care and attainment of universal health coverage.

           Image Courtesy :WHO 

• The IA 2030 strategy extends the benefits of vaccines to everyone, everywhere—is underpinned by four core principles: it puts people in the centre, is led by countries, implemented through broad partnerships, and driven by data.
  • It systematically applies the core principles across each of the strategic priorities.

                                Image Courtesy :WHO 

Aims and Objectives 

• The UN agencies aim to ensure through IA2030 that the benefits of immunisation are shared equitably among and within countries.
• The programme will give priority to populations that are not currently being reached, particularly the most marginalised communities, those living in fragile and conflict-affected settings and mobile populations, such as those moving across borders.

• IA2030 will also provide a strong foundation for the global immunisation strategy in the decade 2021-2030,
  • This, in turn, will contribute to achieving the UN-mandated sustainable development goals or SDGs, specifically SDG3. “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

                              Image Courtesy :WHO 

Indias’ steps for Immunization 

• Universal Immunization Programme
• The expanded Programme on Immunization was launched in 1978.
•  It was renamed as Universal Immunization Programme in 1985 when its reach was expanded beyond urban areas.
•  Since the launch of the National Rural Health Mission in 2005, Universal Immunization Programme has always been an integral part of it.
• Mission Indradhanush
• It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) on 25th December 2014 with the aim of expanding immunization coverage to all children across India.
• The Ministry of Health is being technically supported by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International and other donor partners.
• Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI): It has been launched by the Government to reach each and every child under two years of age and all those pregnant women who have been uncovered under the routine immunisation programme.
• Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 (IMI 3.0): IMI 3.0 is an initiative by the government to provide immunization free of cost to pregnant women and children in India.
  • The focus of the IMI 3.0 will be the children and pregnant women who have missed their vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • It aimed to reach the unreached population with all the available vaccines under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and thereby accelerate the full immunization coverage of children and pregnant women.
• India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’: It is an initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs.
  • It aims to supply Covid-19 vaccines to different nations across the globe.
  • Following requests for the supply of Indian-manufactured vaccines, the government started supplying in January.

Source :DTH