According to recent reports, mothers might soon have the opportunity to document any adverse effects arising from standard infant immunizations on the U-WIN platform, part of the government's broader Universal Immunization Win initiative. The U-WIN platform is a significant public health effort that provides free vaccinations against 12 life-threatening diseases to millions of newborns and pregnant women each year. It is instrumental in not only registering and monitoring routine vaccinations and immunizations but also serving as a means for healthcare providers to access real-time information on vaccination events, adverse effects, follow-ups, registration, and certification.
The U-WIN platform, currently accessible to healthcare providers only, tracks each vaccination event for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Similar to the CoWIN portal for Covid-19 vaccine registration, the U-WIN system is linked to Co-WIN and allows beneficiary records to be accessed via registered mobile numbers for child registration. The ongoing pilot phase of the platform, operational in two districts in each state and union territory, has seen more than 40 million beneficiaries registered to date, along with the recording of 125 million vaccine doses.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman revealed plans to accelerate the rollout of the U-WIN platform for immunization management in her interim Budget speech earlier this year. Once fully functional, U-WIN aims to become the world's most extensive electronic immunization system, potentially boosting vaccination coverage and decreasing infant mortality rates. Moreover, integration with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is envisaged to grant healthcare providers access to comprehensive patient health records, enhancing overall healthcare management.
In the fiscal year 2021-22, a total of 1,026 cases of serious adverse effects following vaccination were reported, leading to an update of national guidelines to accommodate operational modifications and stipulate a framework for reporting various adverse effects, whether minor, severe, or serious, post-Covid vaccination.