Work

High public demand and acceptance of newer vaccines in private sector immunisation in Vellore, South India: Implications for India's national immunisation program

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: New vaccines licensed, but not included in Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in India are used exclusively in the private sector. Quantitative data on their public acceptance and demand are lacking. The Well Baby Immunisation Clinic of our private not-for-profit tertiary care teaching institution provides both EPI and new (licensed non-EPI) vaccines giving us the opportunity to document their uptake trends. METHODS: The volumes of EPI and non-EPI vaccines delivered during the last two decades (2003-2023) were analysed for relative comparison of their time trends and trendlines. RESULTS: This long-term analysis shows high public acceptance and demand for several new vaccines. The volume of EPI vaccines was relatively stable, ranging from 44684 to 70499. 'New vaccines' uptake rose from 8333 in 2003-110783 in 2015. From 2006 till 2012, Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR), Typhoid, Hepatitis A Vaccine (HAV) and Varicella, and from 2014 Influenza were the new vaccines in most demand. In 2020 despite the COVID pandemic, newer vaccines were in significant demand, especially Influenza vaccine. In 2023, the newer vaccines doses most dispensed in increasing order were HAV, Typhoid, Varicella and Influenza. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived community disease burden is reflected by public acceptance and demand of vaccines against vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). In the absence of robust case-based surveillance data for most VPDs, public acceptance and demand could be considered a criterion for prioritization of 'new vaccines' to be included in routine immunisation schedules. Thus, vaccines against Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Varicella and Influenza can be considered favourably for inclusion into EPI in India.

Source: Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2025.100913

Authors: Rajeev Zachariah Kompithra, Leni Grace Mathew, Valsan Philip Verghese, Sarah Mathai, T. Jacob John

Institution: Christian Medical College, Vellore

Language: English

Topic: Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,210