Jivika Healthcare's AdoptaZindagi crowd-funded campaign vaccinates 41 underprivileged children in Pune

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 7 (ANI/BusinessWire India): Jivika Healthcare's new initiative - AdoptaZindagi, in partnership with Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Nasik, conducted its first free routine vaccination drive at PCMC, Pune, Maharashtra. Through this initiative, 41 underprivileged children were immunised with a life-saving vaccine for Influenza. Over time, these children will also receive five additional vaccinations (Meningococcal, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Chickenpox and JE) to secure their health. The vaccination drive was presided over by Hon. Smt. Vaishali Kalbhor, Corporator, Kalbhor Nagar.

With the mission to ensure "Vaccines for All", AdoptaZindagi campaign is aimed to reach and vaccinate millions of underserved children against six vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) not covered under the Government of India's Universal Immunisation Program. The campaign will benefit families below poverty line (Yellow/Saffron Ration card holders) and those who seek public health facilities for routine immunisation of their children. The children (from 6 months - 9 years) will be vaccinated against Meningococcal, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Chickenpox, Influenza and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) (in areas where JE is not yet part of the Government Immunisation Schedule) free of cost by a trained nurse and healthcare assistant under the supervision of a doctor. AdoptaZindagi will also conduct door-to-door awareness drives and community meetings on the importance of vaccinations and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Speaking on the campaign launch, Jignesh Patel, Founder and CEO of Jivika Foundation, said, "Of the 25 million children born in India every year, 76.4 per cent are fully vaccinated as per NFHS-5 report. Vaccination against 19 serious diseases is advised for children by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics. By protecting against 11 vaccine-preventable diseases, the government is doing a remarkable job with its 94.5 per cent vaccination coverage (NFHS-5) across India. Since the government cannot cover everything, our AdoptaZindagi campaign complements the government's efforts by vaccinating children for additional six vaccine-preventable diseases. Since partially vaccinated children are at higher risk of infections and disabilities than completely immunised children, we at Jivika Healthcare are committed to reducing the VPD burden in India by increasing the immunisation penetration of these vaccines. The goal is to complement government's efforts in strengthening immunisation coverage with increased access and improve health outcomes by providing additional vaccination services to below-poverty-line catchments."

One can join the campaign by adopting one or more children's vaccinations in the form of an EMI - one dose one month for 11 months, customised doses starting from a single dose, and one-time donations. With these donations, Jivika aspires to vaccinate more than 20,000 underprivileged children in one year, thus ensuring the completion of 6 necessary doses recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) for the underprivileged population.
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