NFHS-6: UP breaks into India’s top 3 for child immunisation coverage gains

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has emerged among India’s top three states for improvement in total child immunisation coverage, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) for 2023-24 released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Friday.The survey recorded a sharp rise in full immunisation coverage in Uttar Pradesh, from 69.9% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 81.4% in NFHS-6, marking an increase of 11.5 percentage points. The state ranked behind Assam, which posted a 15-point jump, and Goa, where coverage rose by 11.9 points.With the latest gains, Uttar Pradesh has moved close to the national average of 82.6% full immunisation coverage. India’s overall coverage in NFHS-5 stood at 76.6%, indicating a nationwide improvement over the previous survey period.NFHS-6 data also showed progress across key vaccine indicators in Uttar Pradesh. Coverage for the first dose of a measles-containing vaccine increased from 83.4% to 90.4%, while the second dose rose from 58.8% to 72.6%. The proportion of children receiving three doses of the pentavalent vaccine improved from 81.3% to 88.1%.Officials linked the improvement to sustained outreach by frontline health workers and tighter monitoring at district and block levels. “This is a major milestone for us and speaks for the collective commitment of our frontline workers, district teams and state-level staff,” said Dr Pinky Jowel, mission director, National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh. She said the progress would support Sustainable Development Goal targets and help prevent illness and deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.State immunisation officer Dr Ajay Gupta said the gains followed targeted efforts to address low-coverage pockets. He cited a special vaccination drive launched in 2022 in select districts after WHO-supported assessments identified areas with high numbers of children missing routine doses. He added that catch-up campaigns were intensified after pandemic-related disruptions, alongside stronger monitoring and surveillance.Health experts said the improvement carries added weight given the state’s population and annual birth cohort.“The expanded immunisation coverage is expected to strengthen child survival outcomes and reduce vaccine-preventable illnesses across the state,” said Dr Kanupriya Singhal, a Unicef health specialist in Uttar Pradesh.