Topics Covered: Issues related to health.
Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme (VAP)
What to study?
For Prelims and Mains: Key features and significance of the programme.
Context: In the context of the current pandemic, India and US under the Vaccine Action Programme (VAP) are planning to collaborate on the development and testing of vaccine candidates and diagnostics for Covid-19.
Background:
The U.S has already announced a donation of 200 ventilators to India. The ventilators, which will be paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), are part of the $5.9 million in funding announced till date for India.
The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said it would separately fund the Government of India $3.6 million to support prevention, preparedness, and response activities in India, in collaboration with and concurrence from the GoI.
About Vaccine Action Programme (VAP):
The VAP is an Indo-US bilateral program, which supports a broad spectrum of activities relating to new and improved vaccines.
Focus: The programme was designed to encompass laboratory-based research, evaluation of candidate vaccines, testing for clinical development, vaccine quality control, delivery of vaccines and so on.
The programme is under implementation since July, 1987 under the Gandhi-Reagan Science & Technology Agreement.
Significance:
Major projects were initiated under VAP in the areas of rotaviral diarrhoea, dengue, viral hepatitis, acute respiratory infections, tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid, E. coli, leishmaniasis, pneumococcal, HIV/AIDS, etc.
With completion of 25 years of its implementation, DBT celebrated the silver jubilee function of VAP in September 2012.
InstaThink:
Prelims Link:
- Difference between Vaccination and Immunisation?
- About GAVI Alliance.
- What is USAID?
- What are antigens and antibodies?
Mains Link:
Write a note on Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme (VAP).
Sources: the Hindu.