Life-saving vaccines
We are witnessing in global health today, growing equity between rich and poor nations in health - and even a shot in the arm can save a child's life. Today vaccines can help in bringing down mortality across the globe.
About 50 years ago, vaccine-preventable diseases were common and commonly feared. But thanks to the enormous progress in vaccine development and use, many of these diseases today are a distant memory. As a result, fewer and fewer children are dying around the world from disease - from 12 million deaths each year in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010 - despite a large increase in the population.
For the first time in history, children in developing countries are receiving new life-saving vaccines at nearly the same time these are given to those in high-income countries. This remarkable change was unthinkable just a few years ago and shows dramatic progress towards vaccine access and equity. Never before have we seen so many vaccine innovations over such a short period of time. India's emergence as a leader in vaccine manufacturing is a prime example of how this landscape has changed so dramatically.
The Indian government's commitment to primary healthcare should be appreciated. It has spent considerably to improve the health of the country and also introduced new vaccines. Universal immunization programmes have made enormous strides in reaching many of the neediest and remotest populations, although barriers remain. The result of all this innovation and effort - with India playing a major role - is that immunization rates are exceeding 80% in developing countries - a historic high.
But this still means almost one in every five children remains unvaccinated - more than 19 million in total. More than seven million of them are in India. While the country has one of the world's largest universal immunization programmes, immunization rates remain uneven across its 28 states. Country-wide, more than a quarter of children miss out on routine immunization which is very important for their health every year, nearly 40% of all children's deaths in the world are attributable to pneumonia and diarrhoea. Vaccines exist that prevent the infections causing the most serious forms of these diseases. In India, pneumonia remains the leading killer of children. Simply ensuring that existing vaccines reach Indian children would make a major impact on child mortality in the country.
Some have questioned the value of vaccines and their role in protecting and improving health. But the fact is that vaccines save lives and prevent unnecessary suffering. We have reached a profound moment in the history of immunization with more and more powerful vaccines available. The world needs to recognize the massive impact that Indian technology is having in preventing disease and saving lives globally - and India should use that world-beating technology to give a shot at life to all its children.
We are witnessing in global health today, growing equity between rich and poor nations in health - and even a shot in the arm can save a child's life. Today vaccines can help in bringing down mortality across the globe.
About 50 years ago, vaccine-preventable diseases were common and commonly feared. But thanks to the enormous progress in vaccine development and use, many of these diseases today are a distant memory. As a result, fewer and fewer children are dying around the world from disease - from 12 million deaths each year in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010 - despite a large increase in the population.
For the first time in history, children in developing countries are receiving new life-saving vaccines at nearly the same time these are given to those in high-income countries. This remarkable change was unthinkable just a few years ago and shows dramatic progress towards vaccine access and equity. Never before have we seen so many vaccine innovations over such a short period of time. India's emergence as a leader in vaccine manufacturing is a prime example of how this landscape has changed so dramatically.
The Indian government's commitment to primary healthcare should be appreciated. It has spent considerably to improve the health of the country and also introduced new vaccines. Universal immunization programmes have made enormous strides in reaching many of the neediest and remotest populations, although barriers remain. The result of all this innovation and effort - with India playing a major role - is that immunization rates are exceeding 80% in developing countries - a historic high.
But this still means almost one in every five children remains unvaccinated - more than 19 million in total. More than seven million of them are in India. While the country has one of the world's largest universal immunization programmes, immunization rates remain uneven across its 28 states. Country-wide, more than a quarter of children miss out on routine immunization which is very important for their health every year, nearly 40% of all children's deaths in the world are attributable to pneumonia and diarrhoea. Vaccines exist that prevent the infections causing the most serious forms of these diseases. In India, pneumonia remains the leading killer of children. Simply ensuring that existing vaccines reach Indian children would make a major impact on child mortality in the country.
Some have questioned the value of vaccines and their role in protecting and improving health. But the fact is that vaccines save lives and prevent unnecessary suffering. We have reached a profound moment in the history of immunization with more and more powerful vaccines available. The world needs to recognize the massive impact that Indian technology is having in preventing disease and saving lives globally - and India should use that world-beating technology to give a shot at life to all its children.
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