Adult vaccination: The current scenario

Abstract

Vaccination is the process by which a person is made immune to various preventable diseases. Most of the emphasis is given to childhood vaccination and very little focus goes on towards immunizing the adults. Health care services in India has very less contribution to adult vaccination. Hence a desperate need has emerged to develop strategies and schemes for adult vaccination. The disease burden in India is increasing for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. By vaccinating adults against a disease that are known to be life-threatening can reduce the mortality rates significantly. In a country like India with such a huge population, vaccination can be a major intervention in preventing morbidity, mortality, and disability due to many known and preventable diseases. There is no doubt that adult vaccination in India is negligible as protecting adults by vaccination has never been considered as a preventive strategy. Hence there is a need to sensitize the health care providers in our country regarding the same. By vaccinating adults along with children, the chain of spreading the diseases can be broken and quality of life can be improved in a disease-free world.