Indian drive against rotavirus infections via UIP

Even as the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume of doses Serum Institute of India and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health, have teamed up to create the first ever heat-stable rotavirus vaccine, many states in India have launched vaccination drives against rotavirus infections, a significant driver of child mortality in India, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

Looking to cut deaths from diarrheal disease, the Health Ministry aims to provide the rotavirus vaccine to every child under its Universal Immunization Program (UIP) and ensure broader efforts to improve child health indicators.

The vaccine received a major fillip under the Indo-US Vaccine Action Program (VAP), which is a bilateral program supporting a broad spectrum of activities relating to immunization and vaccine related research.