India, July 19 -- When countries-especially low- and middle-income ones-are bracing to bear the impact of a funding crunch in the health care sector, there is some good news regarding India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). Vaccination coverage under the country's immunisation programme has seen a significant jump, especially with regard to covering zero-dose children-those who have not received even a single dose of any life-saving vaccine.

The recent World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) global immunisation estimates for 2024, released on Tuesday, highlighted that the number of children who never received a single dose of any vaccine in India reduced by 43%-from 1.6 million in 2023 to 0.9 m...