Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation recalls vaccine batch after baby dies MUMBAI: Civic officials are scrambling for answers after three-month-old Megha Devkari died on Thursday, hours after she was administered an oral polio vaccine and two injections for Hepatitis-B and DTP. The BMC conducted a health check on the eight children who, along with Megha , had been vaccinated from the same vial on Wednesday. Though all were found to be healthy, BMC has stopped usage of the batch. "The vaccines had a particular batch number.

Largely preventable or treatable infections with viruses, bacteria and parasites cause about two million new cancer cases and 1.5 million cancer deaths each year, said a study published yesterday.

This amounted to about one in six of the 12.7 million new cancer cases reported in 2008, said the report in The Lancet Oncology journal.

One in every six cancers is caused by an infection that is preventable or treatable, according to a study conducted by researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France. The study, published in The Lancet Oncology journal on Wednesday, looked at incidence rates for 27 cancers in 184 countries in 2008. While the research did not take India into account, doctors here said the figure is likely to be much higher than the global average of 16 per cent.

Of the 74 districts monitored in February, five reported 189 incidents of child mortality as compared to the preceding month when 157 children died in seven districts.

Also, 51 such deaths were recorded in seven districts in December, says a Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) report issued here on Tuesday.

Child mortality refers to children who died before attaining five years of age.

While on average there were seven deaths per district in December and 22 in January, the month of February had on average 38 children dying before their 5th birthday.

The growing number of cases of Hepatitis-B infection at Pramadom, Mallasserry, Thengumkavu and surrounding villages, near here, is causing concern for the district administration and the Health Department.

L. Anithakumari, Deputy District Medical Officer for Communicable Disease Control, told The Hindu here on Monday that nine cases had been confirmed through ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test in the past three months. Thirty more cases tested positive in the antigen card test.

New Delhi: The country’s first integrated vaccine centre (IVC) — a single site that will produce six important vaccines administered to Indian children — has crossed the final hurdle. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved the Union health ministry’s Rs 594-crore park proposal.

Spread over 100 acres at Chengalpattu near Chennai, the park will produce all six primary vaccines used in the country’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), besides manufacturing several new-generation vaccines.

Around 80 percent water supply schemes in Rawalpindi are providing contaminated water, thus leaving the people at the risk of serious diseases like hepatitis, jaundice and diarrhoea.

The outcome of the technical assessment survey of water supply schemes, conducted in the domains of seven tehsils of Rawalpindi district, has revealed that water supply schemes are providing piped water for drinking purposes, to meet household needs and for other multiple uses to an enumerated population of 1.4 million people on 385 surveyed water schemes.

KOCHI: Almost a week back, two jaundice-related deaths were reported in the district, but it failed to put a check on the increasing number of cases of waterborne disease. At least, 80 cases of waterborne diseases have been reported in Ernakulam district alone. The Hepatitis A virus doing rounds in Ernakulam has been creating tension, especially, in the western region of Kochi, said officials at the District Medical Officer’s office here.

“Nearly 9.7 million children in the South-East Asian region still do not get the most basic of vaccines like the third dose of DTP-containing vaccine. Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions.

Growing opportunities through new funding as well as research and development initiatives should not go in vain due to the lack of perceived benefit. We need to increase public awareness and ensure that the public understands how immunisation saves lives,” WHO regional director for South-East Asia Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang has said.

A recent death of a person in Edathala due to hepatitis E has sparked off health concerns in the district that had seen a grave situation last year too because of outbreak of hepatitis in various parts of the district leading to an epidemic-like situation.

An emergency meeting has been called by the District Collector at his camp office on Tuesday to review the situation and take necessary action.