File photo of former president APJ Abdul Kalam.
Work is on to develop a vaccine to contain prevalence of cervical cancer among women, especially in rural and tribal areas, former President APJ Abdul Kalam said today.
"The vaccine will cost around Rs 100," he said at a conference organised in Chandigarh by the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH).
Mr Kalam said effective immunisation could go a long way in containing cancer.
He said vaccines were being developed for communicable diseases.
The former President said scientists world over have developed vaccines to prevent malaria and Tuberculosis. Another area in which scientists are engaged is the field of immunotherapy for treatment of cancer, he said. He emphasised on management of immunity as human body is becoming antibiotic resistant.
Mr Kalam said scientists were working on areas to make human beings immune to certain types of diseases. He also referred to new diseases like Ebola and said, "The toughest challenge before scientists is to tackle the new diseases."
"Today a new disease suddenly appears and thousands of people disappear," he said, stressing the need for more focus on immunisation.
He was apparently referring to over 3,000 recent deaths caused by Ebola virus in West Africa.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said there is need for good quality research in India.