Dear All,
I am surprised at the development of introducing pentavalent in India while 56% of the children in India are not getting even basic vaccines and are left to suffer/ die due to the vaccine shortage. The push to introduce the newer vaccine and the so called subsidy atached to it by GAVI has blinded the fund-starved and advise-dependent governments, especially the so-called democratic governments. I hope China is all above this and may show a way ahead. Nobody is talking about bringing the essential vaccines to the doorsteps of the deprived 56% of the Indian population but everybody wants to load the 44% of the population who are having better coverage already, including Himachal. I remember that last year more than a dozen childeren died because of Pertusis in Manipur as they did not have any access to essential vaccines but nobody bothered? In some of the districts in North East the vaccine coverage is less than 10%. But it is sure that the routine immunization will suffer because of the added pressure of newer vaccines and their cost, especially when the GAVI funding will be withdrawn. Thanks and regards, Dr. Omesh Bharti M.B.B.S.,D.H.M.,M.A.E.(Epidemiology) Directorate of Health Services Himachal Pradesh +91-9418120302 [
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