Vaccination Day: India observes National Vaccination Day on March 16.
National Vaccination Day or Immunization Day is observed in India every year on March 16. India observes National Vaccination Day to convey to the people of the country the importance of vaccination. For over a hundred and fifty years, vaccines have saved people from diseases that would have hampered progress of humanity. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccines have brought the world together in a way that we have never seen before. India has emerged a leader in the vaccination drive against the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is vaccination and immunization?
People often use the two words, vaccination and immunization, interchangeably. But there is a fundamental difference between the two. While vaccination is the act of giving or administering the vaccine, immunization refers to becoming immune to certain diseases after taking the vaccine shot. Vaccination and immunization are very important in a country's basic health care. Timely vaccination prevents two to three million deaths every year from preventable diseases, according to experts.
What are vaccines and how do they work?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Vaccines contain weakened or inactive parts of a particular organism (antigen) that triggers an immune response within the body." When a person receives the vaccine shot, he or she is "very likely to be protected against the targeted disease". But the WHO says, "not everyone can be vaccinated" as they may have "underlying health conditions that weaken their immune systems".
In 2021, the WHO, with its partners globally have decided to unite to:
- "Increase trust and confidence in vaccines to maintain or increase vaccine acceptance"
- "Increase investment in vaccines, including routine immunization, to remove barriers to access"
"In the last two decades, India has made significant progress in improving health indicators, particularly those related to child health. The country was certified polio-free in 2014 and eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2015, according to the UNICEF.