-Down to Earth Report of health experts deputed by civil society group says infants did not receive timely medical care when they developed serious reaction A team of public health experts who probed the deaths of eight children in Jammu and Kashmir who were administered pentavalent vaccine has said the deaths were related to administrative negligence and inadequate medical facilities. Seven children in GB Pant hospital and one in SKIMS Medical College...

-Newsclick.in Recent studies have shown that even as India fares better than many developing regions of the world on several indicators of growth and development such as GDP, per capita, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), literacy, life expectancy, etc., the number of malnourished children in India is significantly high. What explains this paradox? The Union Cabinet recently approved a multi-sectoral nutritional programme proposed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to reduce...

-The Economic Times The government must explain to the Supreme Court, with scientific evidence, why the pentavalent vaccine, now introduced into the immunisation programme, should not be banned. The vaccine is designed to combat five childhood diseases: diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and meningitis. So far, more than 82,000 doses have been administered and there have been 29 cases of adverse effects after immunisation. After examining the evidence, it is unclear...

-The New Indian Express Bangalore: The number of children, under the age of five, dying in India, reduced by 55 per cent from 1990 to 2012, says a recent report. A September 2013 Report by UNICEF- ‘Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed,' suggests that a lot more can be done to lower the Infant Mortality Rate in India. The report says that to reach the ‘Millennium Development Goal 4'(MDG 4), which...

-The Hindu In richer and poorer States, differing periods of danger for girl children: data Last year, 74,000 more girls under the age of 5 than boys died in India, numbers for which there is no biological explanation, researchers say. Moreover, while many richer States abort female foetuses at a higher rate than some poorer States, once the child is born, many poorer States have a worse record in ensuring her survival,...