Whats the buzz

Imagine a policy intervention that,at one stroke,could increase school completion by more than 10 per cent; add another half-percentage point to Indias growth rate; benefit all groups,including women and Dalits,equally; and save us billions of dollars annually and many,many lives. That,one would think,is something India should push very hard for,and be vitally interested in. But vaccination against malaria the possible policy intervention that would deliver these near-miraculous results hasnt got the attention it deserves here. And,so,Bill Gates recent statement that he believes a partial vaccine might be available a mere three years from now needs a closer look.

One of independent Indias finest and most forward-looking attempts was the effort,in the 50s,to control malaria. Malaria had kept India poor,and was one of the biggest killers responsible for 10 per cent of the deaths of working-age adults. But an aggressive and efficient government programme lowered that to 1 per cent reducing workdays lost,too,and so we have become accustomed to thinking of malaria as nearly a non-issue. But while India is not as badly hit as is Sub-Saharan Africa,the most recent estimates are that malaria kills hundreds,costs us billions a year and,in some underdeveloped areas,cuts significantly into already low growth and critically impoverishes the sufferer,who loses an irreplaceable few weeks of work.

Bill Gates,when he decided to give away all the money he had made,decided that malaria eradication was where it would be most effective. The 50s effort didnt complete the job: it used DDT to spray breeding areas. Resistance has built up,both mosquitoes and the virus itself have slowly mutated since,and India has,post the mid-90s,started suffering through epidemics again. Gates points out that only a vaccine can truly eradicate the disease. Even as he spoke,an Indian-born scientist in a Florida university announced his lab may have developed a low-cost dual vaccine against malaria and cholera. Many such initiatives exist,and will come to fruition in the next few years. Our policy-making should prepare for a massive roll-out of those vaccines when they become available.