Biden Sees Recovery In Japan, Meets Tsunami Survivors

By STAFF Writer
August 24, 2011

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met the survivors of tsunami in Japan in his three day East Asia visit on Tuesday speaking of a rapid disaster recovery taking place in the country.

He was speaking to the reporters at the airport in Sendai, the close by city of the northeast disaster in Japan on March 11 this year as an aftermath of earthquake and tsunami.

Japan is the "anchor" of United States' interest in Asia, said Biden describing the country. In his visit he also met Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Kan is expected to resign next week by Tuesday. It is learned that Kan apologized for the political situation in Japan. Votes for the next leader, seventh prime minister of Japan in five years, will take place on Monday by the ruling Democratic Party.

Kan was supposed to be traveling to Washington, as per the schedule, next month, but it has been cancelled as his grip on his post unraveled.

Read More

August 24, 2011 | 0 comments

INVESTIGATION: Millions South Asian Children Have No Access To Vaccine

By STAFF Writer
August 03, 2011

Ten million children in South-East Asia fail to receive DTP vaccine's third dose.

Children in millions in South-East Asia fail to receive routines vaccines.

Only 7 of the eleven countries in the region had achieved 90 per cent national coverage in routine immunization last year.

Five lakh children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases in South-East Asia.

Indian pharma companies' made vaccine fuel 43 per cent of global UIP, yet India is where we find every third unimmunized child on the planet. 35% Indian population buys vaccines from the private market.

In India 138 children died last year due to Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFI), admits Indian government. 78 deaths of children were co-incidental by the AEFI committee. Due to injection reaction one child died, and eleven more due to programme error. Vaccine reaction caused the death of ten children, and in 34 cases the death cause is not known. The vaccine programme targets 2.7 crore infants and 3 crore pregnant women every year in the country.


According to World Health Organization (WHO), 24 million children across the world fail to receive third dose of DTP vaccine in the first year of their life, and 41.5% of those live in South-East Asia. This means about ten million children in the region are at the risk of contracting vaccine preventable diseases.


There are four basic vaccines to combat against 6 diseases:

BCG - vaccine against childhood tuberculosis
DTP - combined vaccine against diphtheria, whooping, cough and tetanus
OPV - vaccine against polio
Measles vaccines

SHARE THIS NEWS

Read More

August 03, 2011 | 0 comments