Indian rotavirus vaccine concern over intussusception is unfounded, say researchers

Researchers testing an Indian rotavirus vaccine have said that concerns linking it to an increased risk of intussusceptions are unfounded. They were responding to an online campaign that has called for them to release raw data on the rates of intussusception seen during the trial.1

Gagandeep Kang, professor of gastrointestinal sciences at Christian Medical College, Vellore, who worked on the trial, said that the trial data cannot be used to estimate the risk of intussusception from the vaccine as the campaigners have argued. “This was not a study powered to detect rare events. If you want to find the rate of intussusception, you need to evaluate the vaccine in hundreds of thousands of children,” she told The BMJ. Read the rest of my article here

Two Indian states promise to enforce the medical protection act

Doctors’ associations across India have scored a victory in their campaign for better implementation of the Medical Protection Act, with the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu agreeing to educate their police forces about the provisions of the act. The government of Haryana has promised similar action in the coming weeks, leading the state branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to cancel a strike scheduled for 20 May.

The Medical Protection Act makes attacks on doctors and clinical property a non-bailable offence, punishable by imprisonment of up to three years and a penalty of Rs50 000 (£500; €690; $785). It is currently in force in 17 states. But, although it is widely implemented in some states such as Andhra Pradesh, the first state to pass the act, others such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar haven’t seen state-wide adoption. Read more on TheBMJ here: