Vaccines are the guardians of our wellbeing
On National Immunization Day 2025, Dr VJA Gutla Harshavardhan, Director General, Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association (IVMA) shares his insights on the importance of vaccines, evolution of vaccine industry in India and role played by IVMA
Dr. VJA Gutla Harshavardhan, began his career in the human vaccine industry in 1964 at the renowned Pasteur Institute of Southern India (PISI), Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, where he gained expertise in tissue culture and virus propagation. As the lead in PISI’s Polio Vaccine Unit, he played a pivotal role in the production of the Oral Polio Vaccine (Sabin), which was launched in India in 1968. In 1979, he trained at the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, and later contributed to the successful production of the DTwP vaccine for India’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) by 1981. Dr. Harshavardhan then transitioned to the private sector, manufacturing Tetanus Toxoid (TT) until 1997. Returning to the industry in 1999 at Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), he led the Rotavirus Vaccine Development Project (RVDP), culminating in the 2014 launch of ROTAVAC, India’s first indigenous rotavirus vaccine. He continued to contribute to BBIL’s success until 2023. Now, at the age of 89, Dr. Harshavardhan serves as the Director General of the IVMA.
In an exclusive interview, Dr VJA Gutla Harshavardhan, Director General, Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association (IVMA) shares his insights on the importance of immunization, vaccine hesitancy and role played by IVMA.
Dr Harshavardhan, for our readers who may not fully understand the science behind vaccines, could you explain what immunization with vaccines actually is and how it works?
To understand immunization, we must think of it as a training camp for our body’s defence forces. Just as we prepare our soldiers before sending them to battle, vaccines prepare our immune system before it encounters the real enemy—disease-causing germs.
When we immunize someone, we’re essentially introducing a weakened or a partial version of a pathogen—like a uniform without the soldier in it. Your body recognises it as foreign and creates specialised weapons called antibodies explicitly designed to fight that particular intruder.
The good part of this process is that our body remembers this encounter and launches a rapid defence before the disease can establish itself. Some vaccines provide lifelong immunity with just a few doses. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle—once your body learns, it rarely forgets.
This is particularly important in the Indian context. With a dense population and diverse living conditions, diseases can spread rapidly. Immunization acts as an invisible shield not just for individuals but for entire communities. When enough people are immunized, pathogens simply can’t find enough hosts to survive and hit dead ends. That is the power of a vaccine, and we all have witnessed it firsthand. Diseases like polio, which once caused widespread fear, are now almost unheard of in India. India was declared polio-free in March 2014, thanks to consistent immunization efforts.
Vaccines have profoundly impacted public health worldwide, particularly in reducing infant mortality rates. How would you evaluate India’s immunization efforts and its role in lowering the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)?
The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), in simple terms, tells us how many babies die before their first birthday out of every 1,000 live babies born in a year. IMR is often used to understand how well a country is doing regarding public health and development.
When we look at India’s journey regarding IMR, I see it as a remarkable story of transformation. In the 1980s, we lost about 120 out of every 1,000 babies before their first birthday. Today, that number has decreased to below 30, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB) figures. Every percentage drop in IMR means thousands of lives saved.
This decline can be largely attributed to robust immunization initiatives such as the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) and the updated Mission Indradhanush (MI)—including the intensified campaigns by the Government of India. These Programs have expanded vaccine coverage and now protect children against 12 life-threatening diseases.
Many studies have shown a direct correlation between increased immunization coverage and decreased infant mortality. For example, the Annual Health Survey data claimed a 45% reduction in IMR in the districts with more than 80% immunization coverage. But statistics only tell part of the story. The real impact is visible in communities. I recently met a grandmother in a village near Hyderabad who told me, “In my generation, it was common to lose at least one child. In my daughter’s generation, it was rare. In my granddaughter’s generation, it’s almost unheard of.” That’s the tangible difference vaccines have made.
However, we still face significant challenges. While our vaccination coverage has improved, it remains uneven. The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey data reveals that while states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have achieved over 89% full immunization coverage, states like Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh remain below 50%. Our mission at IVMA is to ensure that every child, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status, receives the protective shield of immunization.
As we move forward, IVMA also envisions supporting the government’s target of 90% full immunization coverage by 2027, as outlined in the National Health Policy. With continued collaborative efforts between government, industry, and communities, I am confident we can ensure that every child in India receives this fundamental right to protection against preventable diseases.
Dr Harshavardhan, despite the success of immunization, vaccine hesitancy is growing in some parts of the world. What do you believe are the underlying causes of vaccine hesitancy, and how can these be addressed locally and globally?
That’s an important and timely question. Vaccine hesitancy is indeed a growing concern worldwide, and it threatens to undermine decades of progress in public health. To effectively address it, we must first understand its root causes, which are often multifaceted.
One primary reason is misinformation and its rapid spread through digital platforms. The challenge is not information scarcity—it’s information overload without proper filtering mechanisms.
Additionally, cultural beliefs and religious misconceptions also play a significant role. In some communities, vaccines are falsely associated with issues of fertility or are seen as being against traditional practices.
Another factor is complacency—or what I call the “paradox of prevention” – a different perception of vaccine hesitancy. Younger generations have never witnessed the diseases they prevent. For instance, a person who has never seen a child paralyzed by polio may not fully appreciate the value of its vaccine. Similarly, in regions where certain diseases have been nearly eradicated, people sometimes underestimate the risk of infection. They feel less urgent to vaccinate, not realizing that the absence of disease directly results from high vaccination coverage.
Therefore, to address this, our approach must be multi-pronged. The most important thing is building trust in the public arena through transparency about benefits and risks. Every medical intervention carries some risk, and pretending otherwise only erodes trust. Sharing transparent information about vaccine development, safety trials, regulatory affairs and potential side effects—no matter how rare—builds credibility. People need to trust the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Similarly, we must actively combat misinformation with scientifically accurate, easily understandable information. We can collaborate with trusted community leaders, healthcare workers, and influencers to bridge the information asymmetry. In India, for instance, involving local health workers like ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists) has proven effective, as they are trusted voices within communities. Additionally, deploying reminder calls, SMS, and emails has improved vaccination uptake among educated and urban parents.
While all this is true, continuous monitoring of vaccination rates and hesitancy trends allows for timely interventions. We must recognise that behind every hesitant parent is not ignorance but concern for their dear ones. Investing in research to understand the evolving reasons and behaviour behind vaccine hesitancy can inform more targeted strategies.
As the global demand for vaccines grows, what does IVMA envision for the future of India’s vaccine manufacturing industry? How is the association preparing for potential global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t just a crisis—it also served as a valuable wake-up call, encouraging us to reassess and strengthen our systems for the future. India has become a global leader in vaccine production, supplying more than 60% of the world’s vaccines. But we are now aiming beyond just manufacturing. IVMA envisions India becoming a true innovator in vaccine development globally in consultation with the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS).
As a not-for-profit, industry-led, and industry-managed association, the IVMA bridges the industry, government, and civil society to shape policies, engage with stakeholders, and strengthen India’s position as a global vaccine hub.
Our vision for the future is built on three key pillars:
First is self-reliance for a Resilient Vaccine Ecosystem. During the COVID-19 crisis, shortages of raw materials, excipients and specialised equipment posed significant challenges. Indian manufacturers faced disrupted supplies of critical raw materials like serum, medium, adjuvants, bioreactors, packaging materials, vials, rubber bungs, seals, and other consumables. To avoid this in the future, IVMA is working with the government to build a “full-stack vaccine infrastructure”, ensuring that everything from raw materials to manufacturing bioreactors is produced domestically.
The second is Innovation and Expanding Vaccine R&D. India has long been known as the “pharmacy of the world.” But our focus is on becoming a vaccine research and innovation leader. What makes me particularly optimistic is our young scientific talent. Millions of STEM graduates and skilled professionals entering the workforce each year drive economic growth and foster a culture of innovation and creativity among youth and the general population. To put it simply, we aim to move from “Made in India” to “Innovated in India” while ensuring that “Available Everywhere” remains our ultimate goal.
Third is harmonizing Regulations and Strengthening Policy Support. Currently, vaccine regulations are overseen by multiple ministries at both the state and central levels, leading to inconsistencies and delays. IVMA is working with the government to streamline regulatory processes to be more transparent, agile and enforceable without compromising the quality of the vaccines.
What role do vaccines play in preventing antimicrobial resistance, and why should this matter? How does today’s vaccination program affect the health of future generations? What legacy are they creating?
Vaccines are critical in preventing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of today’s biggest global health threats. Let me break it down. Antimicrobials—including antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals—help treat infections in humans, animals, and even plants. But over time, bacteria, viruses, and fungi evolve and develop resistance to these treatments, making infections harder to cure. This is AMR, a silent crisis, already causing 1.27 million deaths globally each year.
Now, how do vaccines help? Vaccines prevent both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant infections. If people don’t get sick, they don’t use or overuse antibiotics and other treatments. This directly slows the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens. For example, in Pakistan, where extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid is a growing problem, the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) has been over 90% effective in protecting children against this dangerous strain. Similarly, rotavirus vaccines, with 77% coverage in children under two years old across 18 low—and middle-income countries (LMICs), could prevent millions of antibiotic-treated diarrhoea cases yearly. These examples show how vaccines directly reduce antibiotic use and slow the emergence of resistance.
Vaccines contain targeted strains and function by allowing the immune system to detect antigens specific to the diseases being vaccinated against. On the other hand, broad-spectrum antibiotics can stall both targeted and non-targeted bacteria and disrupt the human microbiome, impacting overall health.
Additionally, Vaccines offer long-term protection, unlike antimicrobials, which must be taken after every infection episode. Vaccines also create a ripple effect across communities. When enough people are vaccinated, we achieve herd immunity, meaning infections can’t spread quickly, and even those who aren’t vaccinated are indirectly protected.
Therefore, at IVMA, we strongly advocate for integrating immunization into national AMR action plans, as vaccines contribute significantly to shaping the health of future generations. I feel that the Indian manufacturers have done a service to humanity by developing our indigenous vaccines. However, the only problem was that they prioritised marketing their products and did not advocate “immunization” enough as one of the best public health interventions. But I think vaccines are not just life-saving; they are future-saving. And that’s a legacy worth building.
