Evidence-based National Vaccine Policy.

India has over a century old tradition of development and production of vaccines. The Government rightly adopted self-sufficiency in vaccine production and self-reliance in vaccine technology as its policy objectives in 1986. However, in the absence of a full-fledged vaccine policy, there have been concerns related to demand and supply, manufacture vs. import, role of public and private sectors, choice of vaccines, new and combination vaccines, universal vs. selective vaccination, routine immunization vs. special drives, cost-benefit aspects, regulatory issues, logistics etc. The need for a comprehensive and evidence based vaccine policy that enables informed decisions on all these aspects from the public health point of view brought together doctors, scientists, policy analysts, lawyers and civil society representatives to formulate this policy paper for the consideration of the Government. This paper evolved out of the first ever ICMR-NISTADS national brainstorming workshop on vaccine policy held during 4-5 June, 2009 in New Delhi, and subsequent discussions over email for several weeks, before being adopted unanimously in the present form.

A study on zoonotic tuberculosis in selected rural areas of Bagalkot and Belgaum districts of Karnataka state.

The close association of cattle/buffaloes to farmers and their family members is a well-known phenomenon in rural India. Cattle are major contributors to the income for the sustenance of families, and for many landless farmers, often the only source of livelihood. The animals are sheltered under the same roof where the family members sleep, cook and eat. This close proximity of humans to cattle/buffaloes exposes farmers and family members to tuberculosis (TB), especially if they are vulnerable (e.g. malnourished children along with adults, diabetics, people with HIV/AIDS, people with addiction to alcohol, or smokers) . Several studies have examined the risk factors that are associated with TB, such as crowding (slum dwellers), poor living conditions, alcohol, and tobacco . Other studies have found a significant proportion of diabetic patients with coexistent TB. This study examines the spread of TB from animals to humans and its public health significance. To achieve this, selected numbers of cattle/buffaloes were tested for TB and the association with humans and animals was examined.