New Delhi, 24 April (IANS). A major step has been taken in India to eliminate diseases like measles and rubella. Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Thursday launched the ‘National Zero Khasra-Rubella Eradication Campaign 2025-26’ through an online program on the occasion of the beginning of ‘World Immunization Week’. The goal of this campaign is that by 2026, measles and rubella disease from the country should be completely eliminated.
Under the Universal Vaccination Program (UIP), two vaccines are installed free of cost to all qualified children to protect them from measles and rubella (MR) disease. The first vaccine is given to children at the age of 9 to 12 months, while the second vaccine is applied at the age of 16 to 24 months. Currently, the MR vaccination situation in India is good. According to HMIS data of 2024-25, the first dose has been given to 93.7 percent of the children and the second dose has been given to 92.2 percent children.
The Health Minister also released the official launch of the content prepared in many languages like posters, radio jingle, MR abolition to make people aware of measles-rubella. All these materials have been shared with all the states and union territories of the country to use during the MR Eradication Campaign 2025-26.
Nadda said in a program that today is a very special day, as measles-rubella abolition campaign is starting 2025-26. The aim of this campaign is that every child should be given both measles and rubella vaccines on time, so that all children can get good health and better life. Its goal is to achieve 100 percent vaccination coverage.
The minister said that measles and rubella are very fast spreading diseases, which cause harm to the health of children as well as their parents also cause anxiety and trouble, so it is important that no child is deprived of vaccination.
The Health Minister said that between January and March 2025, not a single case of measles came to light in 332 districts of the country and no case of rubella was found in 487 districts. This shows that we are making good progress towards the goal of eliminating measles and rubella.
Nadda said that to monitor diseases, it is very important to keep the integrated disease monitoring program (IDSP) constantly active and strengthen its monitoring system.
He said that we should aim to eliminate measles and rubella (MR) in the same way as polio and maternal-native tetanus were eliminated. Along with this, he asked all states and union territories to be cautious, ready and active, and work on the policy of taking immediate steps without delay.
Nadda asked the state ministers and chief medical officials to organize public and press meetings, so that a large number of people can be informed about the vaccination campaign and they could be actively included in it.
He asked the workers of the front row to go to remote areas, slums, migrant people and areas where diseases spread frequently, so that people there can get the benefit of vaccination.
-IANS
SHK/CBT
