After showing how ORS can treat diarrhoea, he now embarks on surveillance of pneumonia

In Pune for a two-day visit, Dr Santosham said that 1.5 million deaths could be prevented if children are vaccinated. This means that 4,000 children are dying, of which 20 per cent are from India.

3 min readPuneJun 24, 2015 12:00 AM IST

Dr Mathuram Santosham

It was in the 1970s when amid stiff opposition from leading paediatricians in the United States, Indian-origin scientist Dr Mathuram Santosham showed through a series of trials how the landmark Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) can treat diarrhoea. After helping save more than 60 million lives, Santosham is now heading an ambitious trial to assess the burden of pneumococcal disease in the country.

In Pune for a two-day visit, Santosham, who was conferred with the prestigious Albert B Sabin gold model last year for his pioneering role in the prevention of deadly Haemophilus Influenzae Type b (Hib) diseases including paediatric bacterial meningitis and pneumonia, told The Indian Express that 1.5 million deaths could be prevented if children are vaccinated. This means that 4,000 children are dying, of which 20 per cent are from India.

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“We will now be embarking on a new three-year trial across five sites in the country, including one at Pune’s Bharati Vidyapeeth medical college, to look at the burden of pneumococcal diseases,” said Dr Santosham, who is also the director of Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health.

Santosham is known internationally for his work on childhood vaccines and dissemination of paediatric prophylactics to vulnerable population worldwide. Working in partnership with Native American communities, he conducted landmark vaccine efficacy trials, including rotavirus vaccine, H influenzae type B (Hib) conjugate vaccine and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Native American children used to die from these diseases at rates 10 to 50 times the US average. Through his advocacy, these vaccines now save 3 to 5 million lives a year in the US and across the globe.

In addition, Santosham worked with the White Mountain Apache Tribe to pioneer the use of oral rehydration solution (ORS), now known as “Pedialyte” in the US. Based on this evidence, ORS has become the standard of care to treat diarrheal dehydration, and is credited with saving 60 million lives since 1980.

Nearly 25 per cent of the 1.4 million children below the age of five who die every year globally due to pneumonia are from India, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Pneumonia has emerged as one of the leading causes of mortality in children below five years, says Dr Sanjay Lalwani, medical director at Bharati Vidyapeeth hospital and medical college which is one of the trial sites that will be assessing the burden of the disease in the project that is being funded by the Gates foundation.

The most common cause of pneumonia is streptococcus bacteria and those suffering from some kind of flu or viral infection such as measles – with weak immunity – are more vulnerable to an aggressive attack of pneumonia. “A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) can go a long way in protecting children from severe infection, and for this purpose we need to collect enough baseline data so that the government can decide when to introduce it,” he added.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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