Governance

Parliamentary Digest (July 29, 2022): 100 million kids get their first Covid vaccine dose

All that was discussed in the House through the day

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Friday 29 July 2022

Almost 100 million children aged 12-18 have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Bharati Pawar, Union minister of state for Health and Family Welfare, told Lok Sabha July 29, 2022. 

At 99.6 million doses, the vaccine has an 82.2 per cent coverage in the age group, while 77.9 million children have received the second dose with 64.3 per cent coverage. 

Vaccination for children below 12 years of age has not started under the National COVID-19 vaccination programme in the country; the minister told the Lok Sabha.

Over 2 million TB cases last year 

Over 1.8 million tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported in 2020 and 2.13 million in 2021 under National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), Pawar said. 

In 2020, 89,823 deaths due to TB were reported, and 76,002 deaths in 2021, the minister said. The death rate was 3.9 per cent and 4.3 per cent for 2020 and 2021, respectively. 

No deaths due to monkeypox

There are four confirmed cases of monkeypox disease in the country as reported by states through July 27, 2022, Pawar said. Of them, three are from Kerala and one case from Delhi. No death due to the disease has been reported in the country so far. 

COVID-19 cases have been showing an increasing trend in several states and Union territories since May 2022, the Union health minister said. There have been 5,26,167 deaths due to COVID-19 in the country as of July 27, 2022.  

More lung diseases in winter months

The cases of acute respiratory illness reported were slightly high during the winter months, a survey has found. National Centre for Disease Control under the Union health ministry has conducted Acute Respiratory Illness surveillance in 15 states in the context of air pollution.  

Diarrhoea and Malnutrition

Diarrhoea caused 2.3% of newborn deaths in India between 2015-17, the Lok Sabha was told. The numbers came from the Cause of Death Statistics report by the Registrar General of India. 

The mortality due to diarrhoea in the neonatal age group is 2.9 per cent in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states and Assam. The EAG states are: Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Odisha.

The mortality rate was 1.2 per cent in other states, Pawar said.  

Malnutrition is not a direct cause of death in children; however, it can increase morbidity and mortality by reducing resistance to infections, the minister said.

1.48 million get free HIV drugs from govt

Around 1.48 million people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) receive free antiretroviral (ARV) medicines in India, Pawar told the Lok Sabha. 

The patients receive the drugs through 681 Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres under the National AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases Control Programme (NACP), which the Government of India fully funds.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition caused by HIV.  

The National AIDS Control Organisation centrally procures ARV medicines for PLHIV as per national guidelines, the minister said.

Effect of pollution on life expectancy

Life expectancy in India would have increased by 1.7 years if the pollution levels had been lower than the minimum levels associated with health loss, the health minister told the Lok Sabha. 

The impact of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 came out December 6, 2018. The Union health ministry, through Indian Council of Medical Research — a medical research body — had conducted it. 

Reduction in ambient particulate matter pollution would have added 0.9 years and 0.7 years for household air pollution reduction, the minister said. 

10 plastic parks to come up

Madhya Pradesh has received approval for two plastic parks, while Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh have received approval for one so far. These parks are currently in various stages of completion,  

These parks, once fully operational, are expected to attract investments from the private sector. It will also generate a good number of direct and indirect employment opportunities, Mansukh Mandaviya, minister for Chemicals And Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, told the Lok Sabha.

 

Subscribe to Daily Newsletter :

Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.