PGI organise Symposium on Rotavirus and Pentavalent Vaccine Innovations

By 1 2 1 News Reporter

 

Chandigarh 14^th September:-- The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research along with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and Global Health Strategies(GHS) hosted a Symposium on Rotavirus and Pentavalent Vaccine Innovations.The  Symposium was attended by representatives from the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, among others

 

On this occasion Dr. Y.K. Chawla, Director, PGI said that While unacceptable, child deaths are not the only impact of these diseases: children who survive not only suffer, but are often hospitalized and miss out on crucial educational opportunities that affect their future. These diseases also take an economic toll, pushing poor families into debt or using up precious resources that could be spent on food or education for their children.

 

Whereas Dr Ajay Khera, Deputy Commissioner, Child Health and Immunization, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare who spoke about the progress and current status of the pentavalent vaccine said, the government was committed to reducing child deaths.  "Immunization coverage has been increasing steadily over the years." However Dr. Khera said that the Government of India is also strengthening the program by adding an additional antigen to protect against pneumonia and meningitis. The pentavalent vaccine is now available in 9 states. We expect to scale up the use of the vaccine across the country in phases.

 

Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Head of the Department of Public Health, PGIMER added, ''I applaud the Government of Haryana's success in introducing the pentavalent vaccine into the government program, making it available free of cost to all sections of society, especially those most in need. Such vaccines are critical to saving lives of children under five, who are particularly vulnerable to childhood diseases. He add that Easily preventable diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhea are the leading killers of children, together accounting for one third of under five deaths in India. Although India's under-five mortality in on the decline, the country still has a long way to go to meet the target for MDG Goal 4: reducing under 5 mortality by two-thirds by 2015.

 

Dr. NK Ganguly, Advisor, Translational Health Science & Technology Institute (THSTI) and former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, "It is very important to address the issue of pneumonia and diarrhea in India. It is critical to note that without introducing and administering vaccines; India may not be able to meet the Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5) of reducing child mortality by two-third. India's neighbors such as Bangladesh and Nepal, who have introduced the pentavalent vaccine, have better child health indicators compared to India."

 

The meeting also discussed the advances made in technology within India. A session aptly titled The Next Frontier – Rotavirus Diarrhea talked about innovations in the areas of vaccine development and the global picture. Dr Jacqueline Tate from the Centers of Disease Control from Atlanta said, "Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among children globally, with the greatest number of deaths occurring in India. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of the rotavirus vaccine globally and specially in countries with high diarrhea disease burden."