Introduction of the pentavalent vaccine into routine immunization (RI) in India needs to be considered in the face of evidence that reveals that it may not be so very beneficial. Also, when coverage with existing vaccines leaves a lot to be desired, what is the purpose of introducing a new vaccine that may not even be effective against the strains that we see in India?
Points that need to be considered:
1. The incidence of all-cause pneumonia was 30 per 1000 children under-five, and mortality was 0.3 per 1000 children under-five. Thus mortality is 50 times lower than 14 per 1000 projected by the UNICEF for India.
2. The incidence of invasive Hib disease in Asia, even without immunization, was reported as 3 to 9 per 100,000 children-under-5.
[Read more]
Comment on this post by email or on the web |