India's Success Story in Pediatric Vaccination Program should be Further Replicated in Adult Vaccination says Experts

The success story of India's paediatric vaccination programme should be replicated in the form of an adult vaccination programme, experts recommended at the 2nd edition of the India Vaccine Leaders Conclave (IVLC) in Mumbai on the theme "Building Resilient Vaccine Ecosystems" on 22 and 23 August, 2023. Currently, about 8% of the Indian population is over the age of 65. It is rising and is expected to reach 19% by 2050. In the paediatric immunisation programme, India is doing well in terms of public health intervention.

Moving forward, the high burden of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), an ageing population, immunosenescence, and growing drug resistance are all significant factors to consider, as vaccines are among the most effective and cost-effective medical technologies ever devised. "A life course vaccination strategy could be one such concrete step in the right direction." The childhood immunisation project and the Covid-19 drive, which are among the finest performing government health programmes in the world, demonstrate the success of strategizing. India has the world's largest cohort, with 26.5 million newborns and 29 million pregnant women, spanning 12 VPDs and moms under the age of five.

Coverage increased from 35% in 1992 to 78% in 2021, with the goal of reaching 90% by 2022-23. There has been a considerable reduction in child mortality and hospitalisation among children under the age of five. India falls in the intermediate endemicity zone for Hepatitis B (prevalence of 2 to 7%, with an average of 4%), with a disease burden of about 50 million across the age group. In India, cervical cancer contributes to approximately 6% to 29% of all cancers in women. A total of 127 092 Influenza-associated respiratory and circulatory deaths across all age groups occur annually in India.

"Vaccines for diseases such as influenza, pneumococcus, and zoster have increased protection against this VPD, particularly among the elderly." The use of influenza vaccines in the prevention of cardiovascular events, reduced severity and hospitalisation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and influenza-like illness is well documented; similarly, hepatitis B vaccines for the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma and HPV vaccine against cervical cancer have shown promising results globally. “Covid-19 vaccination is a reminder that there are benefits of vaccines across all age groups, mainly for the adult population. Health policymakers in India should evaluate and institutionalize mechanisms to examine the need for adult vaccination. They should empower adult citizens to make informed choices on whether they wish to get currently available vaccines. It is time to plan for and expand the benefits of vaccines, for all age groups as part of the life course vaccination strategy in India for the deserving high risk population,” he concluded.