BMJ 1999;319:188 ( 17 July )
Letters
Should immunisation against hepatitis B take priority over
provision of clean drinking water?
EDITOR The World Health Organisation has suggested universal
immunisation with hepatitis B vaccine.1 The Indian Academy of Paediatrics has recommended vaccination to paediatricians in the
country and to the government; paediatricians have in turn been
recommending it. The cheapest Indian vaccine costs 360 rupees (£5.21)
for three doses.
The India Development Report 1997 suggests that a third
of the population earn less than 57 rupees (83p) per capita per
month.2 The main causes of death in India are diarrhoea,
respiratory infections, and malnutrition.
Does the World Health Organisation really want universal immunisation
with hepatitis B vaccine to take priority over the provision of clean
drinking water? At what stage of development of a country's infrastructure does the prevention of hepatitis B by vaccination take
priority? Is there any study about this? We would like to be rid of
this vermin, but the Pied Piper must be paid.
Jacob M Puliyel, Head.
Department of Paediatrics, St Stephen's Hospital, Delhi
110054, India puliyel@del6.vsnl.net.in
| 1.
|
Hoofnagle JH.
Towards universal vaccination against hepatitis B.
N Engl J Med
1989;
321:
1333[Medline].
|
| 2.
|
Parikh KS,
ed.
India development report 1997.
Delhi: Oxford Press, 1997.
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© BMJ 1999
Rapid Responses:
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- bmj.com, 26 Aug 1999
[Full text]
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