Three new life-saving vaccines against rotavirus causing diarrhoea, rubella, an acute, contagious viral infection and polio (injectable) will be soon introduced as part of the country’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) to reduce mortality among children by two-thirds by 2015 and meet global polio eradication targets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that in addition, a vaccine will be introduced among the adults in Japanese Encephalitis (JE) affected districts in the country as a preventive measure against the deadly disease.Although these vaccines are available in the private sector, now the Government will be providing free-of-cost these doses to tackle 13 life threatening diseases which presently claim 2.7 crore children annually. On an average 3,600 children under the age of five years die every day in the country, due to various factors.
Presently, the UIP consists of vaccination for seven diseases-tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles and Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B was added to the UIP in 2007.low-cost vaccine at Rs54 against Rotavirus has been indigenously developed last year under public-private partnership between the Department of Biotechnology and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotec to prevent the killer virus that claims the lives of about 1 lakh children a year.
According to an official statement, vaccines against rotavirus, rubella and polio (injectable) will collectively expedite India’s progress on meeting the Millennium Development Goal 4 targets to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by the year 2015 and meet global polio eradication targets.
Along with the recent introduction of the pentavalent vaccine, this decision represents one of the most significant policy leaps in 30 years in public health, preventing at least one lakh infant deaths, deaths of adults in working age group and up to 10 lakhs hospitalisations each year.“The introduction of four new lifesaving vaccines will play a key role in reducing the childhood and infant mortality and morbidity in the country,” Modi said.
“India is committed to tackle child mortality and provide health for all through multiple initiatives taken up by the government. Strengthening routine immunisation is an essential investment in India’s children and will ensure a healthy future of the country,” Modi said.Another vaccine to be introduced is against rubella which causes severe congenital defects in newborns, like blindness, deafness and heart defects. It is estimated that nearly 2 lakh babies are born with congenital defects each year in the country.
Under UIP, an adult vaccine will be introduced against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in 179 endemic districts in nine States.