Under the National Immunization Schedule of India, which vaccine is given as a fractional dose (1/5th of the full dose) intradermally at 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks?

• A Hepatitis B vaccine
• B Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine
• C Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine
• D Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV) ✓

Explanation

India introduced fractional-dose Inactivated Polio Vaccine (fIPV) — 0.1 mL (1/5th of full 0.5 mL dose) given intradermally — at 6 and 14 weeks. This dose-sparing strategy maintains adequate immunogenicity while conserving vaccine supply and reducing costs. The fractional intradermal IPV exploits the rich Langerhans cell density of the dermis to achieve immune responses comparable to the full intramuscular dose. Hepatitis B birth dose is 0.5 mL intramuscularly; MR and JE are subcutaneous injections.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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