According to the study, streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcal disease) and Haemophilus influenzae b [Hib] infections take the lives of an estimated 1.2 million children under age of 5 every year across the globe.

The report also claims that Hib kills at least 72,000 children in India every year.

While India tops in Hib deaths in the world, Nigeria is second with 34,000 deaths and Ethiopia is third with at least 24,000 fatalities.

'The burden of Hib disease is substantial and almost entirely vaccine preventable,' said James Watt, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

'Expanded use of Hib vaccine could reduce the global burden of childhood pneumonia and meningitis and reduce child mortality,' he said in a communique.

Earlier Friday, Unicef blamed India, Nigeria and Congo for contributing 40 percent to the global child deaths every year.