- Every year on March 16, National Immunization Day is observed in India.
- Vaccination Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of immunisation and how it can prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- The theme of National Vaccination Day 2024 is “Vaccines Work for Everyone”.
- The day was first commemorated in 1995, the year India launched its Pulse Polio Program.
- World Immunization Week is celebrated every year in the last week of April.
- In 1978, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was established. The program was renamed as the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) in 1985.
Mission Indradhanush
- Mission Indradhanush was launched in December 2014 to ensure full immunization with all available vaccines for children up to two years of age and pregnant women.
- The mission aims to achieve the target of the Sustainable Development Goal of Ending preventable child deaths by 2030.