A Tuberculosis Vaccine Trial

Tuberculosis, a highly communicable disease, kills more than 3,00,000 people every year, according to the government’s Central Tuberculosis Division. The depart ment also states that a single patient can infect as many as 10 people. Recognizing this, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched two variants of a vaccine, on a trial basis, to check the effectiveness of them on those who come in close contact with the patients. The study, to be spread over several months, will be conducted on around 12,000 healthy individuals who are at high risk of contracting the disease. If the trials are successful, we could see the vaccine being approved for use on a larger scale for prevention.