Gagandeep Kang has played a central role in promoting rotavirus vaccines and strengthening disease surveillance in India. She supported the development and introduction of indigenous rotavirus vaccines and helped build surveillance networks. In recognition of her work she became the first Indian woman elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2019 and won the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award in 2024. She now works at the Gates Foundation as director for enterics, diagnostics, genomics and epidemiology.
When Kang began medical college the infant mortality rate was 125 per thousand live births, meaning many babies died in their first year; today the rate is about a quarter of that. In Tamil Nadu it is well under 20 per thousand and officials aim for ten per thousand. Kang says policy must move beyond death as the only measure and consider hospital admissions and the time children spend ill.
She warns that viral infection rates have not fallen as much as deaths. Bacterial infections can fall with clean water and sanitation, but viruses are more resistant and spread across social classes. For this reason she argues vaccines are essential. Developing a rotavirus vaccine in India involved scientific and regulatory challenges, and developers had to show the vaccine worked, was equitable and affordable; cost-effectiveness analysis showed preventing hospitalisation would save money.
Difficult words
- rotavirus — virus that causes severe diarrhoea in children
- surveillance — system for watching and reporting diseases
- indigenous — made or developed within the same country
- epidemiology — study of how diseases spread in people
- infant mortality rate — number of babies who die in first year
- hospitalisation — time a patient spends in a hospital
- equitable — fair and equal for all people
- cost-effectiveness analysis — study comparing costs and health benefits
- regulatory — related to official rules and approvals
- sanitation — systems for clean water and waste removal
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you agree that health policy should look beyond death counts to hospital admissions and time children spend ill? Why or why not?
- What scientific or regulatory challenges might appear when developing a new vaccine in a country? Give one or two examples.
- How can clean water, sanitation and vaccines work together to reduce illness in children?
Related articles
AI tool helps local autism diagnosis in Missouri
Researchers at the University of Missouri tested the FDA-approved CanvasDx, an AI device, to help primary care evaluate autism where specialty centres are far away. In a study it gave determinate results for 52% of 80 children and matched clinicians' diagnoses.
Virtual diet and exercise program helps people with lymphoma
A study tested a virtual diet and exercise program for people getting chemotherapy for lymphoma. The program improved symptoms, attendance was high, and participants had better strength and physical performance during treatment.