ISSN: 2456-8090 (online)

DOI: 10.26440/IHRJ/0604.07550

The Rainbow: Mission Indradhanush

AMAN KUMAR¹* , UMA SRISHTI²

Cite this article as:Kumar A, Srishti U. “The Rainbow”: Mission Indradhanush. Int Healthc Res J. 2022;6(4):LE1-LE2. https://doi.org/10.26440/IHRJ/0604.07550

Author Affiliations:

1. Final Year BDS Student (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2919-3913)

2. Intern

Department of Public Health Dentistry, Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India

Dear Editor,

Mission Indradhanush is an actual mission which was launched on 25^th December,2014 to provide atleast 90% of complete immunization coverage to children not more than 24 months & pregnant women as well.¹ 

“Let no children suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease” – PM Narendra Modi² 

Why Indradhanush???

Indradhanush means “rainbow.” We all know that there are 7 colors in rainbow. Mission Indradhanush consists of immunization against 7 childhood diseases that may threaten life of the individual & which includes; Diphtheria, Tetanus, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis-B, Measles, whooping cough(pertussis), Polio. 

7 rainbow colours represent immunity against 7 childhood diseases. 

What are the objectives of this mission???

It will make certain that all children upto 24 months & the pregnant  as well are fully immunized with all available resources & vaccines. 

The Long term goal is; strengthening the health system through collaboration with central & state government and development partners, identification and levelling of gaps in existing routine immunization program, human resource development and sustainable effort in the expansion of  routine immunization micro-plans. 

Why full immunization is essential???

Every year 5 lac children die due to  that can be prevented by vaccination. Children that are Partially immunized or unimmunized, are at greater and severe risk of dying than fully immunized children. It can also  prevent large scale outbreaks by keeping control over the disease in an area & thus, reducing the burden on an unstable health system. 

Hence, supporting the fact that Full immunization is a priority to overcome increasing child mortality and improving overall health of country’s future. 

What should the parents do???

• Contact nearest ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) or ANM (Auxiliary nurse midwifery) for the location of health centers.
• Get their child vaccinated routinely;
• If a child below 2 years missed any vaccine, vaccination can be done during IMI rounds. 

Facts & Dates to remember…..!!!

• On 25^th December 2014, this mission was set in motion by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in phases.
• A total of 201 districts of the whole country were covered in the I^st phase of Mission Indradhanush (MI) & was put into action on 7^th April, 2015.
• And a total of 352 districts of the country have been included in the II^nd phase of this scheme which was launched on Oct 7, 2015.
• Phase III of MI was set afloat on 7 April 2016 and it covered 216 districts.
• Phase IV of MI (launched on 7 February 2017), covered the states of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim.
• Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 1.0 was launched in 8 October 2017 to improve immunization reach to > 90% by December 2018.
• IMI 2.0 was put into act by government of India from December 2019-March 2020.
• IMI 3.0 was a nationwide vaccination campaign which celebrated twenty five years of PPP, which is Pulse Polio Program (2019-20) and was set in motion from February 2021 to march 2021.
• Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya (on Monday, 7th February 2022), launched the IMI 4.0

• IMI 4.0 has 3 rounds to be completed in 416 districts.
• 11 states conducted IMI 4.0. (Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura) from Feb-April 2022 & From April to May 2022, remaining 22 States (including Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Andhra-Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Telangana, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Uttar Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Kerala, Karnataka West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, A&N Islands). 

REFERENCES

1. Press Information Bereau (Govt. of India). Focus on Universal Immunization: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0. (Online Article). Available from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1796099 [Last Accessed on 11^th June, 2022]

2. Press Information Bereau (Govt. of India). Focus on Universal Immunization: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launches Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0. (Online Article). Available from: https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=171499 [Last Accessed on 11^th June, 2022]