Challenges of Child Immunisation in Rural India : A Sociological Study

India has one of the lowest immunisation rates worldwide despite a longstanding universal immunisation programme (UIP) that provides free childhood vaccines. There are probably cultural and / or religious factors that act as an impediment of vaccination. The government of India is rapidly building public health infrastructure and manpower to improve vaccination rates, but other factors such as cultural, socio- economic and religious are not being addressed. In India there are many childhood deaths from vaccines – preventable illness in India at high levels, the reason is – lack of education and awareness for parents on the benefits of vaccination. This study highlights the need to develop a much better understanding of the cultural factors that influence childhood vaccination in India.