Kareena Kapoor Khan appointed ambassador of Swasth Immunised India campaign

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has been appointed as an ambassador of Swasth Immunised India campaign. The Swasth Immunised India campaign has been launched by Serum Institute of India (SII) and Network 18.

Swasth Immunised India campaign

• The Swasth Immunised India campaign aims to build a robust campaign aimed at spreading awareness on the importance and benefits of immunisation among the masses.
• The campaign is aimed at dispelling myths and misconceptions pertaining to the administration of vaccination among Indians.
• The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance and benefits of vaccine administration, advocating its acceptance and building a strong immunization outreach in the country.
• The Swasth Immunised India campaign aims to complement the efforts of the government to reach full immunisation coverage through continuous education and awareness.

Significance of the Immunisation

India’s commitment towards vaccination has aided in successfully eradicated deadly diseases like Polio and Smallpox.
WHO states that immunisation prevents 2-3 million deaths every year. But still, 5 lakh kids die every year in India because of diseases preventable by vaccines. India is still home to the highest number of unvaccinated (56%) and incompletely vaccinated children (32%).
Prevalence of myths and misconceptions, lack of information and misinformation has hindered the government efforts to achieve full immunisation. This is resulting in outbreaks of various kinds of illnesses, leading to a growing fatality rate among infants, children and expectant mothers in India. The Swasth Immunised India campaign aims to address these gaps.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2019