The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine will be introduced to one and a half month old babies.
Mumbai: Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), which protects one and a half month old children from pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases, will be introduced from today. Initially, the vaccine will be given free of cost between 9 am and 1 pm in the health centers and hospitals, said Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani.
The first dose of the vaccine will be given to one and a half month old children in the first phase of PCV vaccination starting from July 13 as per the directions of the state government. The vaccination will be carried out at 208 places in the BMC area. Arrangements have also been made for distribution of vaccines, syringes and other supplies.
The vaccination program provides preventive vaccinations against BCG, polio, whooping cough, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis-B, H influenza-B, rotavirus, measles and rubella. The inclusion of ‘Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine’ (PCV) vaccine in the vaccination campaign as per the directions of the state government will help protect children against pneumococcal pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases.
Pneumococcal disease in India in 2010 killed an estimated 1 lakh children under the age of five. In the same year, 5 to 6 lakh children across the country were diagnosed with pneumonia. The bacterium ‘Streptococcus pneumoniae’ causes an infectious disease called ‘Pneumococcal’. This disease is a type of infection of the lungs. The disease causes children to have difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, fever and cough. If the infection is severe, it can lead to death from meningitis, pneumonia, septicemia.
To this end, the Government of India has made available the ‘Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine’ (PCV) in universal immunization to protect children from pneumococcal diseases. The new vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), will be included in the routine immunization program.
