Over half of Indian kids are without immunisation
July 20th, 2011 - 8:19 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, July 20 (IANS) More than half of Indian children under the age of two do not receive comprehensive routine immunisation, a study by an NGO said Wednesday.
According to international aid agency Save the Children, India is one of the 25 developing countries in the world where up to one-third of all children receive no vaccinations for childhood killer diseases.
“Approximately 2.7 million children under the age of five receive no treatment for diarrhoea, which is a major killer of children. Of the 25 developing countries listed in the report, India has the highest number of children who do not receive even the most basic of healthcare services,” the statement said.
“The country also has the highest number of children under five dying every year,” it added.
Terming the absence of healthcare services as ‘healthcare deserts’, the statement said that over 40 million children worldwide do not receive the most basic of healthcare services, including routine immunisation.
Save the Children’s chief executive officer Thomas Chandy said that the existence of ‘healthcare deserts’ shows that efforts to reduce child mortality are still sidelining the poorest children and this denial of basic healthcare is leaving them vulnerable to fatal conditions.
“Ironically, in cities like Delhi, large pockets can be classified as healthcare deserts, where no primary health care is available for the urban poor,” Chandy said.
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- Immunizing kids against diseases key to achieving child survival goals - Sep 22, 2010
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- Pune firm slashes pentavalent vaccine prices 60 percent - Jun 13, 2011
- Southeast Asia to give health issues more priority - Sep 09, 2011
- Now, a tracking system for immunisation in India: Azad - Aug 02, 2011
- IGNOU, Unicef sensitise scribes on infant deaths - Aug 04, 2011
- 'India needs to step up vaccination to save its children' - Jun 11, 2011
- Malnutrition harming Madhya Pradesh kids: Unicef - Sep 06, 2011
- Dalai Lama donates money to fight child malnutrition - May 15, 2012
- 'India fourth worst in maternal care' - May 08, 2012
- Gates Foundation calls for investments for vaccines - May 17, 2011
- Kerala kids to get new pentavalent vaccine shots - Dec 06, 2011
Tags: absence, chandy, chief executive officer, child mortality, countries in the world, denial, developing countries, diarrhoea, existence, healthcare services, India, indian kids, international aid agency, killer diseases, New Delhi, ngo, pockets, primary health care, vaccinations