Question: Name the India’s first indigenously developed rotavirus vaccine?
(a) Rota-B
(b) Rota-C
(c) Rotavak
(d) Rota-V
Ans (c)
Related facts:
- On 26 March 2016 J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched the Rotavirus vaccine as part of the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) of the country.
- Noting that Rotavirus is one of the leading causes of severe diarrhoea and death among children less than five years of age.
- Every year nearly 80,000 to one lakh children die in the country due to Rotavirus diarrhoea, and about 9 lakh children are admitted to hospital due to episodes of severe diarrhoea with 32.7 lakh cases of OPD.
- The vaccine is being introduced initially in four states i.e. Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and will be expanded to the entire country in a phased manner.
- The Rotavirus vaccine has been developed indigenously, under a public-private partnership by the Ministry of Science and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and by the support of U. S. Government institutions like the National Institute of Health and Non-Governmental Organisation.
- India’s Universal Immunization Programme launched in 1985 is one of the largest immunization programmes in the world and a major public health intervention in the country.
- Following this vision, the Government has launched‘Mission Indradhanush’ in December 2014 to fully immunize children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
Reference:
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=138342
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Indigenous-rotavirus-vaccine-becomes-part-of-universal-immunization-in-4-states/articleshow/51561520.cms
http://pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/pm-launches-first-indigenously-developed-and-manufactured-vaccine-against-rotavirus/