New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): The government aims to immunise every child in the country against fatal diseases, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said here Tuesday.

"The Indian government is very serious about achieving total immunisation in India and it aims to immunise almost every child against the fatal diseases," Harsh Vardhan said speaking at the launch of a music video "Phool Khil Jayenge", a awareness campaign for child health and immunisation.

The music video highlights the importance of immunisation in saving lives of Indian children.

Vardhan said every year lakhs of young children die of diseases in India, most of which can be prevented by simple immunisation.

"Lakhs of children in India die from the diseases that are easily preventable. Even 29 years after the launch of the immunisation programme, only 65-70 percent of children got immunised. The rest are susceptible to diseases which often turn fatal," he said.

According to the health ministry over 14 lakh children in the age group of 1-5 years die every year due to preventable diseases, like pneumonia and diarrhea.

Emphasising the role of various stake-holders, Vardhan said: "Each of us needs to volunteer and turn into a 'health soldier' to achieve 100 percent immunisation. The support of all political and religious leaders is essential in this endeavour."

"I am confident that this music video will help us repeat the success story of polio (immunisation programme) with many other preventable diseases as well, by creating awareness about how essential immunisation is in saving lives," Vardhan said.