“Mission Indradhanush” targets India’s unvaccinated children

A media campaign to encourage the uptake of childhood vaccination in India was launched this week, with the aim of 90% of children receiving full vaccination by 2020.

Health Minister J P Nadda launched the publicity campaign for “Mission Indradhanush” on 23 March. It included plans for television and radio adverts, banners, posters, hoardings, and a song composed by Javed Akhtar and sung by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik.

The Mission Indradhanush initiative was launched last December to improve the uptake of seven childhood vaccines—diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, polio, tetanus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough—which increased by only …