PANJIM, SEPT 23
The more educated the mother, the more likely a child is to get proper immunisation. Goa, along with Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Punjab and Kerala, is in the group of States with the highest level of complete immunisation; 80 per cent or higher.
These figures have been released by the latest UNICEF Coverage Evaluation Survey 2009, which estimates that 61 per cent of Indian children in the age group 12 to 23 months were fully immunised.
Earlier, government estimates under the District Level Household Survey-3 for 2007-08 (DLHS-3), reckoned 54 per cent had received the full immunisation schedule.
The complete schedule of immunisation for children under two years includes BCG (TB), three doses each of polio and DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis or whooping cough, Tetanus), and Measles. Often the first doses are given but multiple dose vaccines are not followed through.
Universal child immunisation is one of the targets under the Millennium Development Goal programme to reduce child mortality. India has a long way to go towards achieving this goal, with nearly 40 per cent of our children missing out on vital vaccines. Arunachal Pradesh, UP, Meghalaya, MP and Tripura all had full immunisation coverage of less than 40 per cent. In Tripura, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur, 10 per cent of the children had taken absolutely no vaccination.
