According to paediatrics, however, the Health Ministry\'s move to include a new vaccine in its national immunization drive, takes care of only one kind of pneumonia--the one brought on by the haemophilus influenza type B (HiB) virus. It ignores the more deadly pneumococcal strain. \"HiB causes about 20-30 per cent of all pneumonia deaths, while pneumococcal causes 50 per cent,\" says paediatrician Dr Vijay Yewale. \"The government\'s initiative does not address the bigger problem.\" A recent paediatrics conference in Udaipur recommended inclusion of the pneumococcal pneu- monia-combatting PCV7 vaccine, made available to India last year by the Global Alliance of Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI). But it\'s not clear what the Centre feels about this. \"PCV7 is expensive at the moment, but it may save as many as one lakh lives every year,\" says RK Agarwal, president of the Indian Association of Paediatrics (IAP). \"We will lobby with the Centre for its inclusion in the immunisation drive.\"
Forgotten killer
by Labonita Ghosh, DNA, 13 April, 2008
From drum beating at markets to using helicopters, Tripura has been making rapid strides in its immunisation programme, pushing this important health care intervention among tribal as well as non-tribal mothers and children.
Tripura aims for total immunisation
by Ratna Bharali Talukdar, India Together, 06 January, 2008
That Sabin’s oral polio vaccine (OPV) has not been able to eradicate polio in our country, is now well established (inter alia, Economic and Political Weekly, 4-11-06, p. 4538-4540; and 23-12-06, p.5229-5237; Tehelka, 11-11-06, p.8-9; The Hindu, Hyderabad, November 13, 2006, p.11; Down to Earth, 31-12-06, p.24-31; Conclusions Recommendations of a National Consultative Meeting organised by Ind ian Medical Association in New Delhi on May 14, 2006; Editorial in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, (IJMR), January 2007, p. 1-4; and numerous other articles in some of the world’s best known scientific journals, such as Science.)
The politics of polio
by Pushpa M. Bhargava, The Hindu, 11 June, 2008
Playing by the ear Union health minister Anbumnai Ramadoss has decided not to take any chances and has suspended the national measles inoculation drive temporarily. At least 10 states, including Maharashtra, which were to use 4 lakh measles vaccine in routine immunisation programmes have been asked by the Centre to stop its use.
Measles vaccine deaths trigger panic in Mumbai
by Deepa Suryanarayan, DNA, 26 April, 2008
When the Bhatts read about the death of four infants in Tamil Nadu after they were given the measles vaccine recently, it was almost as if then nightmare was unfolding all over again. Twelve years ago, the Borivli couple\'s daughter was left crippled after taking the measles vaccine.
One in lakh: Measles vaccine crippled this girl
by Deepa Suryanarayan, DNA, 30 April, 2008
India’s immunisation drives are likely to be adversely affected following the death of four infants, less than half-an-hour after they were administered anti-measles vaccine. The tragic incidents occurred in two separate immunisation camps in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district. The government has suspended the measles immunisation campaign in Tamil Nadu and some other states like Orissa, which sourced their vaccine from the same manufacturer as Tamil Nadu have suspended their weekly immunisation programmes too. The deaths can be expected to have a large impact on immunisation drives across the board, whether against measles, polio or diphtheria.
Deadly setback
by , The Deccan Herald, 29 April, 2008
In 1996, a scientist working with local tribals in the forests of Kerala discovered the potential for a new herbal drug to enhance the immune system. Dr. Pushpangadan sought the prior informed consent of the Kani tribe before commercialising their medicinal knowledge. All royalties and profits from the herbal product called Jeevani were shared equally among the forest dwellers and researchers. Thus begins the story of how an ancient culture began unleashing its entrepreneurial energy to transform the modern world. The Kani tribe benefit sharing model was the first of its kind and has subsequently been modelled in several countries in Africa and Latin America. Indigenous Knowledge (IK), also referred to as ‘traditional’ or ‘local’ knowledge, represents the intangible assets (intellectual capital) of local communities, and is a potentially cost-effective and sustainable resource in the development process.
Can rural poor contribute to knowledge economy?
by Siddhartha Prakash, The Hindu, 27 April, 2008
The sudden death of four children after they were administered measles vaccine in primary health centres in Tamil Nadu\'s Tiruvallur district is a grievous tragedy. Laboratory investigations can determine whether the Vaccine produced by the Human Biologicals Institute, Hyderabad, was contaminated, but the death of the infants is bound to shake public confidence in the immunisation programme. The priority must now be to restore faith in the system in order to maintain wide vaccination coverage. The benefits of good quality vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, diphtheria, polio, and tetanus are universally acknowledged and heavily outweigh the very rare adverse reactions.
Towards safe vaccinations
by , Hindu, 25 April, 2008
By now it is well-recognised that government authorities who come under the influence of imperialism and big business do not hesitate to kill their own invaluable institutions. Several public sector institutions and organisations of great value have been destroyed in this way, with the willing participation of international organisations which too are, sadly, frequently under the sway of multinational companies and developed countries. This crime becomes all the more unpardonable when it takes place in the area of health, threate-ning the life of many people particularly children.
Sabotaging Indigenous Production of Vaccines
by Bharat Dogra, Mainstream Weekly, 28 November, 2008