‘India did vaccination hundreds of years before Edward Jenner’: Dr Sajjan Yadav

Dr Sajjan Yadav's book charts India’s vaccine path from ancient science and looks at why India has been a frontrunner in vaccine production and supply for the world.

Milan Sharma

• Updated Aug 18, 2022, 11:29 AM IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launches Dr Sajjan Yadav's book on India's vaccination history

Ancient Indian scientists knew the process of inoculation and vaccination long before British physician and scientist Edward Jenner created the first vaccine against smallpox that had killed millions of people across the globe, said Dr Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry, author of ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story - From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’. Dr Yadav is a Doctorate in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The book charts India’s vaccine path from ancient science and looks at why India has been a frontrunner in vaccine production and supply for the world. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the book on Wednesday.

“The flurry surrounding vaccines in the last two years has led me to delve into the subject. The stories of the development of vaccines in India are fascinating for me. I felt a strong need to collect and document these stories so that India and the world can learn about India’s vaccine story,” he said.

The book also discusses the development of vaccines by India at a break-neck pace to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, and the launch of the biggest vaccination drive. Other topics like vaccine diplomacy, vaccine economy, vaccine hesitancy and vaccine leadership have also found mention in the book.

The Finance Minister said that the book has come at an appropriate time – when India is celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. “As infectious diseases have a huge impact on productivity and economy, vaccines manufactured by India make a significant contribution in economic growth and development across the world,” said Nirmala Sitharaman.

India produces 62 per cent of the world’s vaccine doses, contributing greatly to the widespread availability of affordable, high-quality vaccines.

“Not only we have administered more than 200 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but in the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Sarve Santu Niramaya’ we have provided this ‘Sanjeevani booti’ to more than 100 countries,” said the minister.

Also read: India supplies nearly 60% of vaccines used worldwide: Finance Minister