National Vaccination Day 2023, Theme, History and Significance

National Vaccination Day 2023

National Vaccination Day is celebrated on 16 March every year. The COVID-19 and subsequent development of vaccines have made information on vaccines especially relevant for candidates aspiring for various competitive examinations. The idea behind the celebration of National Vaccination Day is to spread awareness and highlight the importance of vaccines in human lives. To a large extent, the increased longevity of human life is often attributed to the development of vaccines and medical science. The post here has all the information on National Vaccination Day, its theme, history, and significance. You will also get to know a few basis points about vaccines that are relevant from an exam perspective.

Check this post in Hindi

National Vaccination Day History

March 16 is celebrated as National Vaccination Day or National Immunization Day to mark the onset of the Polio Immunization Programme with first dose of the oral polio vaccine administered on March 16 in India in 1995. The famous slogan of ‘Do Boond Zindagi Ke’ is familiar to all. India has come a long way since 1995 and we have been successfully able to eradicate all types of wild polio cases. As per World Health Organisation India has made remarkable progress in routine immunization with intensified vaccination drives. India is now moving towards eliminating measles and rubella through the vaccination of over 324 million children between 2017 and 2020 through MR vaccination campaigns.

The Covid vaccination drive was a milestone in itself, working on capabilities and experience in vaccination due to successful vaccination programs like – Mission Indradhanush, Universal Polio Vaccination. India was able to run largest vaccination drive against COVID 19.

National Vaccination Day Theme

The theme for the year 2023 has not been announced yet by the Ministry of Health and Human Welfare. But the theme for National Vaccination Day 2023 was ‘Vaccines Work for all‘. The theme of 2022 was aimed at overcoming vaccine hesitancy shown by a few people.

National Vaccination Day Significance

Here is the significance of National Vaccination Day.

1. The objective of National Vaccination Day is to raise awareness about the importance of vaccination in preventing diseases
2. It aims to encourage people to get vaccinated against preventable diseases.
3. National Vaccination Day is also an occasion to recognize the contributions of healthcare professionals, scientists, and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure that people are vaccinated and protected from preventable diseases.
4. It is an opportunity to come together to promote vaccination and create greater awareness about its importance.

Types Of Vaccines

Now from an exam perspective let’s know a bit about vaccines. Here are the types of vaccines that the candidates should know on National Vaccination Day.

1. Inactivated or killed vaccines: These vaccines contain a killed version of the virus or bacteria that causes the disease. Examples include the polio vaccine and the hepatitis A vaccine.
2. Live attenuated vaccines: These vaccines contain a weakened form of the virus or bacteria that causes the disease. Examples include the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the yellow fever vaccine.
3. Subunit, recombinant, or conjugate vaccines: These vaccines contain only specific parts of the virus or bacteria that are necessary to create an immune response. Examples include the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine.
4. mRNA vaccines: These vaccines use a small piece of genetic material called messenger RNA (mRNA) to instruct cells in the body to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. Examples include the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
5. Viral vector vaccines: These vaccines use a harmless virus (not the one that causes the disease) to deliver genetic material into cells to trigger an immune response. Examples include the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
6. DNA vaccines: These vaccines use a small piece of DNA to instruct cells in the body to produce a protein that triggers an immune response. DNA vaccines are still in development and have not yet been approved for use in humans.