Marking the start of World Immunization Week 2025 (April 24–30), Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, on Thursday virtually launched the National Zero Measles-Rubella (MR) Elimination Campaign 2025–26. The campaign reinforces India’s commitment to eliminate Measles and Rubella by 2026.
During the launch, J.P. Nadda unveiled multilingual IEC materials—including posters, radio jingles, and official campaign films—which will be distributed across all States and Union Territories to raise awareness and promote public participation in the campaign.
Calling the day a “momentous occasion,” Nadda underscored the importance of achieving 100% immunization coverage. He said that Measles and Rubella are highly contagious diseases that severely impact children’s health and bring distress to families, and it is vital that no child is left behind.
He highlighted India’s progress in this regard, stating that 332 districts have reported zero measles cases and 487 districts have reported zero rubella cases between January and March 2025. India’s efforts have also received global recognition with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award from the Measles and Rubella Partnership, presented in March 2024.
The Minister called for enhanced surveillance through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and urged States and Union Territories to adopt an ‘ACT NOW’ approach. He encouraged state leaders and Chief Medical Officers to engage with the public and media, and involve elected representatives, local panchayat heads, and civil society to ensure widespread awareness and participation.
India’s strategy to eliminate Measles and Rubella focuses on achieving and maintaining over 95% vaccination coverage with two doses of the MR vaccine in every district, maintaining a sensitive and timely case-based surveillance system, ensuring preparedness and swift outbreak responses, and building strong inter-departmental linkages. Public awareness remains a central pillar, with targeted campaigns to dispel myths and reduce vaccine hesitancy.
According to 2024–25 HMIS data, India currently stands at 93.7% coverage for the first dose of the MR vaccine and 92.2% for the second dose. In 2024, the country saw a significant decline in measles and rubella cases, with measles dropping by 73% and rubella by 17% compared to 2023.
India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), the largest in the world, vaccinates approximately 2.9 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore newborns annually against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and hepatitis B. The U-WIN digital platform, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is streamlining vaccination services across the country by enabling online registration, appointment booking, and digital certification.
He also appealed to frontline workers to reach remote regions, urban slums, and areas with migratory populations and frequent disease outbreaks. Stressing the importance of last-mile delivery, he urged collaborative efforts from all departments and ministries to meet the campaign’s ambitious goals.
