India, March 9 -- It took a few weeks for the world to realise how serious the new virus radiating out of Wuhan was. Once realisation hit, by January 2020, a unique effort got underway. Within days, scientists had unlocked the virus's genetic sequence.
The first effective vaccine followed in just 11 months - a feat previously measured in decades. At their peak, countries such as India were delivering a million doses a day. Wealthier nations, albeit selfishly, funded and stockpiled breakthrough doses in even higher numbers. The message was clear: Science saves lives.
And yet, on February 25 this year, an unvaccinated child died of measles in Texas. Amid vaccine scepticism, the disease, declared eliminated in the US in 2000, has seen a resu...