Children Under Five Receive Vaccinations in Nepal

Kathmandu. Children under five years of age who missed routine vaccinations are being vaccinated today. Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, head of the Child Health and Vaccination Branch of the Department of Health Services, informed that children under five years of age who missed vaccinations in the vaccination week program operated by the Ministry of Health and Population have started receiving vaccinations today.

"We are finding and vaccinating children who have missed routine vaccinations during the vaccination week," he said, "We urge parents to go to the nearest health institution and get their children vaccinated." He informed that in the 'Find and Vaccinate' campaign, children under five years of age who missed routine vaccinations that should have been given at 15 months will be given nine types of vaccines against 13 types of diseases.

According to branch chief Dr. Gautam, 90 percent of children in Nepal have received full doses and 10 percent of children have not received all vaccines, while one percent of children have not received any vaccines.

Branch chief Dr. Gautam informed that the work of identifying and vaccinating children who have missed vaccinations is being carried out by mobilizing female community health volunteers. According to him, the government provides these vaccines to children from birth to five years of age to protect them from disease, disability, and death.

According to World Health Organization data, due to the effectiveness of vaccines, Nepal has succeeded in reducing the mortality rate of children under five years of age from 118 per thousand live births to 26.5 per thousand live births from 1996 to 2023, informed branch chief Dr. Gautam.

Due to the increasing number of children missing vaccinations in some districts and the occurrence of measles-rubella infections, the ministry has started vaccinating children who have missed out.