Rethinking India's Flu Strategy: The Case for Biannual Vaccination
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: General Science (Health - Communicable diseases, Viruses, Vaccines, Immunology - Antigenic Drift); Social Sector Initiatives & Schemes (Universal Immunisation Programme - UIP).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Health, Governance, Social Justice): Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population; Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.
Key Highlights from the News
The article argues that India's current annual approach to influenza (flu) vaccination is inadequate.
Main reasons behind this:
India has two main influenza transmission seasons (two distinct peaks) in a year: post-monsoon (July-September) and winter (January-March).
The immunity provided by the flu vaccine is very short-lived protection (3-6 months). This is due to the continuous genetic mutation (antigenic drift) of the influenza virus.
Therefore, if vaccinated once a year, protection will not be available during the other transmission season.
Solution: Implement a new method of administering the influenza vaccine twice a year (biannual vaccination), i.e., before each transmission season.
Currently, less than 5% of people in India receive the flu vaccine. This is because it is not part of the government's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and is only available in the private market.
The article calls for including the flu vaccine in the UIP to reach more people, especially children, and to utilize India's strong vaccine manufacturing capacity for this purpose.
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