KATHMANDU: Four percent of children in Nepal are deprived of immunizations.

According to Child Health and Immunization Section at the Family Welfare Division, Ministry of Health and Population, children mainly who work in brick kilns and other factories and who suffer prolonged illness largely face obstructions to having access to vaccines. This four percent of the child population is not immunized at all.

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of access to information have their roles in keeping such a number of children from getting any sort of vaccine.

“In Nepal still 16 percent of children miss the full course of the immunization,” he said, adding that just 80 percent of children are fully vaccinated.

In view of this scenario, the Ministry will be launching a weeklong immunization campaign from April 24 targeting those children deprived of immunizations. As said by section Chief Dr. Abhiyan Gautam, during the campaign the target group will be identified for the vaccination. The government aims to increase vaccination coverage to 95 percent.

As he said, 95 percent access to vaccination mainly against measles and rubella has not been possible in Nepal. The vaccine against measles is administered in the ninth and 15 months of birth.

In Nepal, the government provides vaccines against 13 diseases to children under the regular immunization schedule.

It said the immunization campaign is taking place in coordination with the local levels and schools.