- Government is set to roll out rotavirus vaccine in the universal immunisation programme across all states by September 2019.
- As part of the exercise,all 2.6 crore children born annually in India will be eligible to receive free of cost the vaccine that will protect them from diarrhoea.
- The vaccine is currently being administered in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.By September,all remaining 25 states and Union Territories will be covered under the programme.
- This initiative is one of the three 100-day targets identified by the Union Health Ministry.The other targets are to start a programme for setting up of at least one medical college or postgraduate medical institute public or private in every district in the country.
- The Ministry also plans to ban e-cigarettes.Nine states has already prohibited the sale, manufacture, distribution and import of e-cigarettes.
- According to a report prepared by WHO,e-cigarettes emit nicotine which is the addictive component of tobacco products.In addition,nicotine can have adverse effects on the development of the foetus during pregnancy and may contribute to cardiovascular disease.
- Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea among infants and children throughout the world.Rotavirus is transmitted by the faecal-oral route via contact with contaminated hands,surfaces and objects and possibly by the respiratory route.
