In every four minutes a child under the age of five die because of the unnecessary suffering of pneumonia in India. The International Vaccine Centre blames India for not introducing the newest vaccines and treatments for disease.
According to the latest report from the center is based at Johns Hopkins University, as many as 3.71 lakh Indian children die each year because of pneumonia.
It feels every four children die from pneumonia worldwide. The ratio is much poorer than Sub-Saharan Africa, Pakistan and even Afghanistan.
Now once, India is considering along with only four countries to introduce the latest generation of pneumonia vaccines that protect against the 23 most common injury of the disease.
Dr Mukesh Agarwal, HOD Pediatric at KEM Hospital, said that “the vaccine up to a certain extent can reduce morale and morbidity, but the absolute control of environmental risk factor is more important. The starting point is the superior hygiene, avoid crowds and environmental risk factors.”
The International Vaccine Centre said the new vaccine could help save at least 4 million children across the developing world in the next decade.
However, the vaccine requires four booster shots. Overall, the cost will be Rs 16000th.
Dr. Sonu Udani, a pediatrician at Hinduja Hospital, says: “It’s a bit unfair that only one percent of the population can afford expensive vaccines and have access to them and people who need it most do not have access to them. Then there was the battle lies . ”
He also said that “Just as they fought for AIDS drugs be made cheaper, and now ART has been made very affordable for patients, the same is done for vaccines.”
The last report on this case also underlines the low incidence of breastfeeding in India as an important part of children’s deaths. It may be due to the addition of cost and access.
According to WHO, the lactation strong protection and pneumonia would not take such a terrible toll, if 70-80 percent of children were breast-fed, as opposed to 46 percent of babies were delivered in India.
