Diarrhea Vaccine in govt immunization programme

On 26-March-2016 Shri J P Nadda launched Rotavirus vaccine as part of Universal Immunization Programme.In an attempt to bring down child mortality in the country, Union health minister J.P. Nadda on 26-March-2016launched rotavirus vaccine in Bhubaneshwar. 
•    In the first phase, the vaccine has been launched in four states – Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. It will subsequently be extended to the entire country.
•    Rotavirus is highly contagious and spreads fast once the infection breaks out in an area.
•    The vaccine, developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research, has been available in the private sector for many years. 
•    Its introduction in government’s immunization programme will extend its reach to rural and poor areas.
•    According to data from the Union health ministry, rotavirus infection causes 78 thousand deaths annually among children under-5 years of age in India. It accounts for 8.7 lakh hospitalisations yearly.
•    Three doses of vaccine are to be given within the gap of one month each starting at age one-and-a-half months. Nearly 50% of rotavirus associated deaths occur within first year of life. 
•    Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years of age, and that every year nearly 80,000 to one lakh children die in the country due to Rotavirus diarrhoea.
•    The vaccine is being introduced initially in four states Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and will be expanded to the entire country in a phased manner.
•    Universal Immunization Programme is a vaccination program launched by the Government of India in 1985. 
•    It became a part of Child Survival and Safe Motherhood Programme in 1992 and is currently one of the key areas under National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) since 2005.
•    The program consists of vaccination for nine diseases- tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles,Hepatitis B, Diarrhoea,Japanese Encephalitis andPneumonia. Hepatitis B was added to the UIP in 2007. 
•    Thus, UIP has 9 vaccine preventable diseases in the program.
•    In 2014 it was announced that four vaccines will be added to the program, namely rotavirus, rubella and Japanese encephalitis, as well as the inject table polio vaccine.