Every year on March 16 National Vaccination Day is celebrated as on the same day the first dose of Oral Polio Vaccine was given in India in 1995. The day is observed to celebrate the Indian government's Pulse Polio Campaign which was an initiative to eradicate polio from the country.
Two oral drops of polio vaccine were provided for children from the age of 0 to 5 years as per the program. This program became a success gradually, as in 2014 India became a polio-free country.
Over the last few decades, vaccines in the country have become an important weapon to fight some fatal diseases like TB, tetanus and more and have saved so many lives.
Therefore, this day states that the main importance of vaccination in today's world cannot be overlooked. There are plenty of vaccination campaigns running across the world to defeat deadly health conditions such as smallpox, measles and especially COVID-19.
People have started getting the coronavirus vaccine and as of March 14, more than 2.99 crore people have received it.
However, the National Vaccination Day aka National Immunization Day is observed on March 16 to mark India's victory against polio disease. Read on to know more about the special day and also know the importance of the day during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
