KATHMANDU: The Health Service Department has announced that children under the age of two have been fully immunized across all 77 districts, with Nuwakot being the latest to complete the full immunization program.
Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Immunization Division, shared the milestone, stating the coordinated national effort to protect young children from life-threatening diseases.
Nepal’s immunization schedule includes eight doses targeting a range of illnesses, which are administered to children up to 15 months old.
Full immunization is achieved once these doses, designed to protect against tuberculosis, rotavirus, polio, pneumonia, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, influenza B, Japanese encephalitis, rubella, and typhoid, have been completed.
The government-led program begins with the BCG vaccine, given at birth to guard against tuberculosis.
Vaccinations for Japanese encephalitis are administered when a child reaches 12 months, and by the 15th month, children receive immunizations against measles, rubella, and typhoid.
For the first time, full immunization was initially achieved in Achham and Palpa districts, setting the stage for expansion across the country.
In cases where a child misses any of the scheduled doses before 15 months, the program offers catch-up immunizations between 16 and 23 months, ensuring no child is left unprotected.
Dr Gautam emphasized the significance of this achievement as a step toward improving the nation’s overall child health standards and highlighted the government’s continued commitment to accessible and comprehensive healthcare for all Nepali children.
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