The Union Government's new plan of replacing the age old DTP (Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus) Vaccine with a single shot Combination Vaccine may force millions of country's children out of National Immunization Programme. The government is taking measures to use pentavalent vaccine in place of the existing five vaccines, according to experts in the field.

Pentavalnet vaccine, combination of DTP, Hepatitis- B and HIB influenza, is manufactured by private companies like Panacea Biotech and Shanta Biotech and costs Rs 150 to Rs 200 per dose, whereas Govt. has been getting DTP from the public sector units at a rate of Rs.1.10 per dose till the suspension of production at the three units in January this year.

According to Dr Rex Surgunam, former director of Child Health, government of Tamil Nadu, the Union health ministry's plan to replace DTP with pentavalent will cost the government enormously. This may affect the State Governments to hold the immunization programme as before. Naturally, they have to cut down the number of beneficiaries and this may reduce the coverage of the present Immunization program. Apart from this, while using this pentavalent, the schedules of the programme also have to be changed. Now different schedules are following for different vaccines, he said.

The total allotment of the government to the Health Department for the whole Health Care programme of the country is only 0.9 per cent of the GDP, every year. When the UPA Govt. had assumed power, they promised in the Common Minimum Programme that the allotment would be increased to 2.3 percent of the GDP, but so far no measures have been taken by the government in this regard, Dr. Rex told Pharmabiz.

For the National Immunization Programme, three doses of DTP have been in use for three shots for a baby from its birth to 12th month. For this, the Govt. is spending only Rs 3.30. The three doses of the DTP are administered on a schedule of three times with first dose on the 45th Day of birth, second dose on the 75th day and the third shot on the 105th day. First dose of hepatitis- B is given immediately after birth. The second dose is given after first month and the third dose is administering after six months.

The three schedules of administering doses of HIB influenza are being done on 60th day, 120th day and 180th day respectively. Now the infants of the country are getting all these doses of immunization free of cost.

According to the Government's new plan the single shot of pentavalent vaccine will be administered on a schedule of 45th day, 75th day and 105th day. If pentavalent is given in three times schedule, it will cost the government minimum Rs.600 for immunizing one child. After all, the Union Government cannot supply the same number of doses as they have been doing now, some experts opined. For the same immunization, now the government is spending only Rs.3.30.

The Union Government had suspended production of vaccines at the three public sector units (The BCG Vaccine Laboratory in Chennai, the Pasteur Institute of India in Coonoor and the Central Research Institute at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh) on the 15th of January this year, for non compliance with Good Manufactured Practice.

Nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the DTP group vaccines and 100 percent of the BCG vaccines are met by these institutes. The estimated number of infants covered under NIP programme is 25 million new births per year.

But the expert committee appointed by the Union health ministry to inspect the three public sector units after its closure, consisted private individuals also Dr Anil Chawla, vice president R&D, Panacea Biotech Pvt Ltd, New Delhi and Dr Sunil Gairola, director, Quality Control, Serum Institute, Pune, are the members from private side.

It is estimated that in Tamil Nadu, 20 Lakh children are born every year and for them 60 lakh doses will be required. So far the government was spending nearly Rs 66 lakh per year for the whole program. If the State Government wants to cover the same number of children for pentavalant vaccine, the approximate cost will be Rs 60 Lakh x 150 to Rs 60 Lakh x 200. So each Government will have to take much pain to find out the resources for the new plan.