July 19, 2011
The Question
How is India simultaneously one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of vaccines, and home to a population where less than 44% of young children receive the full schedule of immunizations?
What we found
Only 2.1 percent of the national government’s health budget is allocated to routine immunization — a small amount given the country’s large population and number of births. India lags behind other countries of similar per capita gross domestic product in child survival.
Why it matters
India currently stands poised to make sizable public investments in health and increasing allocation of resources to the country’s immunization program is an immediate solution and is well worth the cost.
