Third dose of fractional fIPV for children from January 4

From January 4, 2023, all children will receive a third dose of the fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) vaccine when they are nine to twelve-months-old.

Issuing a revised schedule, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH) said as per the national immunisation schedule, two doses of fIPV were administered intradermally at six and 14 weeks of age. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended an additional third dose of fIPV under the routine immunisation schedule. The revised schedule would include an additional dose at 9-12 months of age. So, the three doses of fIPV would be administered at six weeks, 14 weeks and 9-12 months.

Deputy Directors of Health Services were requested to direct officials of the health units to ensure that children get the third dose of fIPV while they come for the first dose of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). The administration of the third dose should be started in all outreach and institutional services.

The route of administration for the third dose will remain the same (intradermal) and site of administration will be at the left upper arm as MR vaccine will be given on the right arm.

Under the UIP in Tamil Nadu, 11 vaccines are provided to children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases. Annually, around 10 lakh pregnant women and 9.16 lakh children/infants are being covered under the programme. There has been no wild polio cases in the State for the past 18 years.