I did a small Yahoo!! Yippee!! Hurrayy!! in my mind last day when I read this announcement in the newspaper. The Indian government has announced the development of an indigenous Rotaviral vaccine which can be made available in the market at just Rs 50, that is just US$1!!
As a public health persona, I can't help but contain my glee and excitement at this most welcome piece of new. This is most welcome news when you consider the fact that the currently available vaccine costs approx. Rs 1250, that is 25 times more than the new one!
It is definitely a yahoo moment for Indian science and technology, the India government's biotechnology dept having played a significant role in its development. I hope sincerely that this vaccine comes out with flying colours in all its trial phases and gets licensed fast. Yes, a vaccine is not the answer to lack of sanitation and safe drinking water. But it can definitely play a role in plugging the holes, to whatever small extent possible. Now that it will be available at a lower price, a lot more children who were kept out because their families could not afford it, can be brought into the safety net. At Rs 50, it is still out of reach to a large sectino of the opulace who subsist on less than $1 (Rs 55) a day. Lets hope that the govt can induct this vaccine into its immunization schedule and make it available to everyone free of cost.
