NEW DELHI: India has over nine lakh children who did not receive a single shot of any routine vaccination in 2024, according to new national immunisation coverage data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF on Tuesday.India recorded the second-highest number of ‘zero-dose’ children – defined as those who lack access to, or are never reached by, routine immunisation services – after Nigeria, which recorded 2.1 million.However, Union Health Ministry officials said India cannot be compared with Nigeria due to “its sheer population size.”“India, due to its population size, will always come among the top ten countries,” official sources said.There is, however, some good news. India saw a significant decline in the number of zero-dose children – from 15,92,000 in 2023 to 9,09,000 in 2024.According to Dr Vivek Singh, Chief of Health, UNICEF, “India’s vaccine-wise immunisation coverage surpasses global averages across all vaccines. India saw the largest decline from 1,592,000 zero-dose children in 2023 to 909,000 in 2024.”“The vast improvements in coverage reflect India’s strong national leadership and commitment to immunisation as a public health priority, and its vision where every child is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases,” he told .The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) stated that India’s achievements in reducing illness and mortality in children make it a global exemplar in child health.
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