Vaccine sale is not tailored to improving India's health

doi:10.1136/bmj.39563.536157.BE

BMJ 2008;336:975 (3 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39563.536157.BE

Letters

Global access to vaccines

Vaccine sale is not tailored to improving India’s health

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Measles is still a big killer, especially in poor malnourishedchildren in India. Yet professional bodies have yet to recommendto the government the inclusion of the measles, mumps, and rubella(MMR) vaccine in the national immunisation programme.¹ The IndianAcademy of Paediatrics has, however, recommended vaccinationagainst hepatitis B. The incidence of hepatitis B in India islower than originally thought, so the costs of vaccination mayoutweigh the benefits, and its inclusion in the national programmemay not be justified.

Vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae type B is also beingpromoted aggressively by drug companies with the acquiescenceof professional academies. Infections, especially meningitis,caused by H influenzae in young children are serious, causinga high proportion of death and disability. The epidemiologyof H influenzae in India and its incidence in Indian childrenare not known, so the recommendations have been made withouta risk-benefit analysis.