9-Aug-2019: Every child will now get Rotavirus Vaccine as government expands it to the entire country
The Health Ministry has drawn an ambitious plan under the 100-days agenda of the newly elected government, wherein it has been decided to provide Rotavirus vaccine to every child across all 36 states and UTs by September, 2019. The Government is committed to ending morbidity and mortality in children due to diarrhoea by 2022. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in India’s children and will ensure a healthy future of the country.
Diarrhoea is one of the biggest killers in children and Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe diarrhoea in children less than 2 years of age. Rotavirus vaccine along with proper sanitation, hand washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation will go a long way in reducing the mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children. The Government is also committed to increasing the full immunization coverage and ensuring that the benefit of the life-saving vaccines is provided to every child.
Dr Harsh Vardhan said that no child in the country should die from Vaccine Preventable Diseases and it is the ‘Goal and Commitment of our government’. “We stand committed to reducing child deaths and provide a healthier future to our children and the expansion of Rotavirus vaccine under UIP is a step in that direction”.
In India, every year 37 out of every 1000 children born are unable to celebrate their 5th birthday, and one of the major reasons for this is diarrheal deaths. Out of all the causes of diarrhoea, rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrhoea in children less than 5 years of age. It is estimated that rotavirus cause 8,72,000 hospitalizations; 32,70,000 outpatient visits and estimated 78,000 deaths annually in India. Rotavirus diarrhoea presents in similar manner like any other diarrhoea but can mainly be prevented through rotavirus vaccination. Other diarrhoea can be prevented through general measures like good hygiene, frequent hand washing, safe water and safe food consumption, exclusive breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation.
Keeping in view the burden of disease which can be prevented through vaccination, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), an expert committee, recommended introduction of rotavirus vaccine (RVV) in the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).Three doses of rotavirus vaccine are provided along with other vaccines, free of cost under UIP at one and half month, two and half moth, and three and half month of age of child.
Rotavirus vaccine was introduced in 2016 in a phased manner, beginning with 4 states initially and later expanded to 7 more states making it a total of 11 states by end of 2018, where Rotavirus vaccine was available in the country. At present the vaccine has been further expanded to 17 more states till now. Rotavirus vaccine is now available in 28 States/UTs, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Bihar, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Chandigarh, Nagaland, Delhi, Mizoram, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The vaccine is expected to be available in all 36 States/UTs by September 2019.
18-Feb-2017: Expansion of Rotavirus vaccine under Universal Immunization Programme.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare has announced the expansion of the Rotavirus vaccine under Universal Immunization Programme in five additional state. Strengthening routine immunization is an essential investment in India’s children and will ensure a healthy future of the country.
Immunization is a crucial intervention in reducing the country’s child mortality. Diarrhoea is one of the biggest killers in children and Rotavirus is one of the most common causes of severe diarrhoea in children less than 2 years of age. Rotavirus vaccine along with proper sanitation, hand washing practices, ORS and zinc supplementation will go a long way in reducing the mortality and morbidity due to diarrhoea in children.
The fourth phase of Mission Indradhanush has already begun in North-eastern states - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura from 7th February 2017 and will be rolled out in rest of the country in April 2017.
This life-saving vaccine will not only improve the health of our children but will also reduce hospitalization and other conditions associated with diarrhoea due to Rotavirus such as malnutrition, delayed physical and mental development among children. Reduced hospitalization reduces the economic burden on the family and the health cost burden on the country.
Rotavirus vaccine has been developed indigenously, under a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This is a landmark achievement under ‘Make in India’ initiative.
In March 2016, the Rotavirus vaccine was first introduced in four states namely Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Till date, about 38 lakh children have been vaccinated with Rotavirus vaccine in these four states. Now, the vaccine will be expanded to five more states of Assam, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Currently, India has the one of the number of deaths due to diarrhoea in children under the age of 5 years. Globally, diarrhoea is responsible for 5,76,000 child deaths every year.
India’s UIP provide free vaccines against 11 life threatening diseases, to 26 million children annually, the largest birth cohort in the world. The Universal Immunization Programme provides life-saving vaccines to all children across the country free of cost to protect them against Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea. (Rubella, JE and Rotavirus vaccine in select states and districts).
14-Aug-2019: FDA approves new drug for treatment-resistant forms of tuberculosis that affects the lungs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pretomanid Tablets in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid for the treatment of a specific type of highly treatment-resistant tuberculosis (TB) of the lungs.
The bacterium that causes tuberculosis can develop resistance to the antibiotics used to treat it. Multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB are public health threats due to limited treatment options. New treatments are important to meet patient national and global health needs. That’s why, among our other efforts to address antimicrobial resistance, we’re focused on facilitating the development of safe and effective new treatments to give patients more options to fight life-threatening infections. This approval also marks the second time a drug is being approved under the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs, a pathway, advanced by Congress, to spur development of drugs targeting infections that lack effective therapies. We continue to see more development of antibacterial drugs for treating serious or life-threatening infections in limited populations of patients with unmet medical needs.
Pretomanid in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid is approved for treating a limited and specific population of adult patients with extensively drug resistant, treatment-intolerant or nonresponsive multidrug resistant pulmonary TB. Multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB are difficult to treat due to resistance to available therapies. According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, there were an estimated 4,90,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant TB worldwide, with a smaller portion of cases of extensively drug-resistant TB.
The safety and effectiveness of Pretomanid, taken orally in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid, was primarily demonstrated in a study of 109 patients with extensively drug-resistant, treatment intolerant or non-responsive multidrug-resistant pulmonary TB (of the lungs). Of the 107 patients who were evaluated six months after the end of therapy, 95 (89%) were successes, which significantly exceeded the historical success rates for treatment of extensively drug resistant TB.
The most common adverse reactions observed in patients treated with Pretomanid in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid included damage to the nerves (peripheral neuropathy), acne, anemia, nausea, vomiting, headache, increased liver enzymes (transaminases and gamma-glutamyl transferase), indigestion (dyspepsia), rash, increased pancreatic enzymes (hyperamylasemia), visual impairment, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and diarrhea.
Pretomanid used in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid should not be used in patients with hypersensitivity to bedaquiline or linezolid.
22-Jul-2019: Government bans use of antibiotic Colistin.
The Health Ministry has ordered a ban on using antibiotic Colistin in food-producing animals, poultry and aqua farms, in a move to curb the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans through animals.
The Ministry, in its notification, has prohibited “with immediate effect” the manufacture, sale and distribution of Colistin and its formulations for this purpose. The Ministry has also directed manufacturers of Colistin to specify “in conspicuous manner” on the labels, package inserts and promotional literature that these products are “not to be used in food producing animals, poultry, aqua farming and animal feed supplements”.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Colistin is a “reserve” antibiotic, which means it is supposed to be considered a “last-resort” option in treatment and used only in the most severe circumstances, when all other alternatives have failed. However, this strong antibiotic has been “highly misused” in India’s livestock industry to prevent diseases and as promote growth of such animals. One of the reasons for anti-microbial resistance in India is due to unwanted use of Colistin in the poultry industry.
The development comes months after the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), India’s apex drug advisory body, recommended that the drug’s use be banned in animal farming industries.
A 2017 global study on antibiotic use in farm animals projected the consumption of antibiotics through animal sources to nearly double during 2013-2030. This means India’s AMR problem is expected to worsen due to the consumption of antibiotics through animal sources. The study ranked India the fourth largest consumer of antibiotics in food animals globally after China, the United States and Brazil.