The Government of India observes National Vaccination Day every March 16 to recognise and appreciate the hard work of frontline healthcare workers in ensuring vaccination of every child across the country. This year, the day is being observed with the theme "Vaccines Work For Everyone".
But why is March 16 observed as National Vaccination Day in India?
March 16 is significant for the Indian health sector as on this date in 1995, the first dose of the oral polio vaccine was administered in India. Since then, the day has been observed as National Vaccination Day every year, and India has been advancing in routine immunization through intensified vaccination drives over the years.
The country has been making great strides towards wiping out measles and rubella elimination through the vaccination of over 324 million children between 2017 and 2020 through several MR vaccination campaigns, according to WHO data.
The recent production of covid-19 vaccines and the nationwide vaccination drive against the disease has also been progressing remarkably.
Till date, 2,20,64,71,236 total people in India have been administered the Covid vaccines. Manipur's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has reached 32,69,025 as of March 14.
