Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), About, Objective, Evolution

Universal Immunisation Programme, launched in 1985 and implemented by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to provide free vaccines to children and pregnant women against various diseases.

About Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) 

The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aimed at providing free vaccination to children and pregnant women against preventable diseases.

Coverage and Scale: 

• Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) is one of the world’s largest immunisation programmes, reaching about 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.54 crore newborns annually, free of cost.

Diseases Covered:

• Under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), vaccines are provided free of cost to protect against 12 major diseases.
• These include Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), Tetanus, Polio, Measles, Rubella, severe childhood Tuberculosis, Rotavirus infection, Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal diseases, and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib). 
• Additionally, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is included in the programme but only in endemic districts where the disease is prevalent.

Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) Objective

The objectives of the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) are:

• To increase immunisation coverage
• To improve the quality of services
• To establish a reliable cold chain system to the health facility level
• Monitoring of performance
• To achieve self-sufficiency in vaccine production

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Evolution of Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

The programme originated as the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in 1978, covering limited urban populations. In 1985, it was renamed UIP and expanded nationwide to reduce mortality and morbidity from six vaccine-preventable diseases, supported by phased implementation and the establishment of a cold chain system. Key milestones include:

• 1986: Launch of Technology Mission on Immunization for monitoring under the Prime Minister’s 20-point programme.
• 1992: Integration with Child Survival and Safe Motherhood (CSSM) programme.
• 1997: Integration with Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme.
• 2005: Strengthening under the National Rural Health Mission.
• 2014: India declared polio-free.
• 2016: Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination achieved.

Over the last decade, UIP has expanded to include new vaccines, improved cold chain and digital monitoring, and strengthened urban immunization and vaccine safety systems.

Vaccines under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

In the past decade, several new vaccines were introduced: Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) (2015), Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV) (2016), Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine (2017), and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) (2017). Currently, UIP provides immunization against the following vaccines:

• Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)
• Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus (DPT)
• Tetanus and adult Diphtheria (Td)
• Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV)
• Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine
• Hepatitis B (Hep B)
• Pentavalent vaccine (DPT + Hep B + Hib)
• Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV)
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)
• Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine in endemic districts

Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) Achievements and Impact

UIP has been instrumental in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases and under-five mortality in India. Key achievements include:

• Eradication of smallpox (1977)
• Polio-free certification in 2014
• Elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2016
• Substantial improvement in full immunization coverage from 62% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 76.4% in NFHS-5 (2019-21)
• Introduction of new vaccines has strengthened protection against emerging and high-burden diseases like Rotavirus, Pneumococcal infections, and Measles-Rubella.