{"id":105633,"date":"2024-05-01T19:49:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T14:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&p=105633"},"modified":"2024-05-01T19:49:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T14:19:15","slug":"epi-by-who","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/epi-by-who","title":{"rendered":"Expanded Programme on Immunization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
Relevance For Prelims:<\/b> World Health Organization Non Communicable Diseases, BCG vaccine, Universal Immunization Programme, Smallpox.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Relevance For Mains<\/b>: Challenges in immunization programmes, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Context:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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  • The year <\/span>2024 commemorates 50 years s<\/b>ince the launch of the<\/span> Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) <\/b>by the <\/span>World Health Organization (WHO) in 1974.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    About Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI):<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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    • Launch<\/b>: EPI was launched in<\/span> 1974 to ensure that all children<\/b>, in all countries, benefited from <\/span>life-saving vaccines.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Smallpox Eradication:<\/b> EPI was introduced as the<\/span> eradication of smallpox virus w<\/b>as on the horizon.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Global and National Immunization Progress:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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      • Expanded Vaccine Portfolio:<\/b> While in 1974, there were<\/span> vaccines to prevent six diseases,<\/b> five decades later, there are <\/span>vaccines against 13 diseases <\/b>which are<\/span> universally recommended; <\/b>and <\/span>vaccines against 17 additional diseases <\/b>are recommended for a<\/span> context-specific situation.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Increased Coverage: <\/b>Significant rise in vaccination coverage rates globally, with <\/span>DPT3 coverage <\/b>increasing from<\/span> 5% in the early 1970s to 84% by 2022.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • India\u2019s Immunization Journey: <\/b>Launch of <\/span>EPI in 1978, r<\/b>enamed to<\/span> Universal Immunization Programm (UIP) in 1985.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Success of EPI: <\/b>S<\/span>mallpox has been eradicated, Polio e<\/b>liminated from all but two countries and many <\/span>vaccine preventable diseases <\/b>have n<\/span>early disappeared.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Impact of EPI:<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n
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        • Lives Saved<\/b>: Immunization programs <\/span>credited with saving millions of lives<\/b>, preventing billions of hospitalizations, and <\/span>curbing diseases like smallpox and polio.<\/b><\/li>\n
        • Cost-Effectiveness: <\/b>Economic analyses show vaccines to be <\/span>highly cost-effective, <\/b>with a <\/span>seven to eleven-fold return <\/b>on investment for<\/span> every dollar spent.<\/b><\/li>\n
        • Success of Immunization Program<\/b>: In nearly all<\/span> low- and middle-income countries<\/b>, including India, the <\/span>immunization programme <\/b>remains a success among<\/span> all government initiatives.<\/b><\/li>\n
        • Immunization in Mixed Health Systems:<\/b> In<\/span> mixed health systems <\/b>with both the<\/span> public and private sector <\/b>delivering services.<\/span> Immunization <\/b>remains the <\/span>only health intervention <\/b>with <\/span>greater utilization f<\/b>rom the <\/span>government sector.<\/b>\n