Mon Mar 17 18:49:22 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Expands Vaccination Access to Boost Coverage

**Chennai, March 18, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine announced a significant expansion of vaccination services to improve coverage and reduce dropouts. Beginning immediately, all 4,848 rural and 500 urban health and wellness centers (HWCs) will offer vaccination services every Wednesday. This initiative, launched in conjunction with National Vaccination Day (March 16), supplements existing outreach programs.

Director of Public Health, T.S. Selvavinayagam, highlighted Tamil Nadu’s robust immunization program, dating back to 1978. The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) currently provides 11 vaccines to protect children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), covering approximately 9.58 lakh pregnant women and 8.76 lakh children annually. The state boasts consistently high immunization coverage exceeding 98%, with an average of 1.4 crore vaccine doses administered yearly.

The DPH utilizes both institutional and outreach services to deliver vaccines. While institutional services are available daily in major hospitals, Wednesday is designated for Primary Health Centers. Outreach services reach villages and towns via anganwadis and public spaces. 33 private hospitals are registered under the eVIN (electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network) and U-WIN (routine immunization monitoring portal) systems, ensuring vaccine utilization and performance monitoring.

The program provides a comprehensive vaccination schedule, including Td vaccines for pregnant women and a series of 20 doses for infants before age one, followed by additional doses in subsequent years. The DPH urges residents to utilize the free National Immunisation Schedule available on their website (www.tndphpm.com) to ensure age-appropriate vaccinations against diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, and others. On National Vaccination Day, the Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, along with public health officials, launched new IEC posters and a video to promote U-WIN activities.

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