Misconceptions and misinformation mean India's child immunization program has failed

Mandatory immunization for children in India between nine months and 15 years of age against measles and rubella has not worked its charm, with India and Indonesia accounting for over 90% of unvaccinated children in Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organization. Misconceptions and misinformation have turned out to be the main culprit, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

According to the Southeast Asia Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), 3.1 million children in India and 1.1 million in Indonesia did not get the measles vaccination in 2016. Together, they account for 91% of unvaccinated children in the region, with India alone accounting for 67% of the children missing immunisation. Measles still kills an estimated 134,200 children worldwide every year, which includes more than 54,500 in Southeast Asia alone.

India's measles elimination campaign was rocked by rumors and fake alerts claiming the vaccine is banned in the USA for causing serious side effects, including damaging a child’s immunity and memory and is allegedly being pushed in India by Big Pharma looking for an easy market to dump their products.