KEYWORDS:
Vaccination laws
NFHS National Family Health Survey

BACKGROUND:
Immunization rates in India have lagged behind under the current policies. India has 1/6th , the population of the world. So any improvement here, will impact global immunization considerably.

OBJECTIVE(S):
To design an immunization program for India which is not short lived but a permanent solution. The policies should improve the current status and also facilitate introduction of new vaccines.

METHOD(S):
Studying the various policies of the developed countries and to identify the most important policies which are currently not being used in India. Then, determine the scope of improvement by using the data from NFHS 2 done in 1998-1999.

RESULT(S):
The policy of mandatory school vaccination is identified to be the best opportunity that has been missed. Only 42% of children between 12-23 months are fully immunized. 81.5% of children between 6-10 years attend school. (There is no immunization data for 6-10yrs children.) Assuming 42% of 6-10yrs children are already immunized, vaccination rates can increase by 112% in this age group, if all school children are immunized. Registries are proving to be very effective in sustaining the high vaccination rates. Registries should be introduced simultaneously by first collecting the data from schools

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Introduction of a law of mandatory school vaccination with a provision for medical and religious belief exemptions is the best practical suggestion for improving vaccination rates in India. Registries can easily be installed simultaneously which can contribute considerably for improvement by tracking and notifying children. It can also assist in assuring accountability. Registries can complement the work being done for polio eradication. These policies are ideal to help in achieving high vaccination rates and for the introduction of new vaccines. External agencies who support funding should persuade the Government to introduce these laws.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
How to improve vaccination rates in India ?