NEWS

Under the universal immunisation programme, the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) programme was launched in the Bengaluru  on the occasion of ‘World Pneumonia Day’.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

• Vaccine used to protect infants, young children and adults
• Against disease caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).
• Conjugate: It is a type of vaccine that joins a protein to an antigen in order to improve the protection the vaccine provides.
• Contains purified capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal serotypes conjugated to a carrier protein to improve antibody response.
• Unique feature – composition which is specially tailored to the prevailing serotype prevalence of S Pneumoniae in India and other regions of the world.

Pneumococcal disease

• Group of diseases caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae, (also known as pneumococcus).
• Diseases caused by pneumococcus include

1) severe diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis and bacteraemia (presence of bacteria in the blood)

2) milder diseases such as middle ear infection (otitis media), sinusitis and bronchitis.

• Cases
  • Significant contributor to the under-five mortality rate worldwide.
  • Annually India witnesses an estimated 71% of pneumonia deaths and 57% of severe pneumonia cases.
  • Every year, nearly 67,800 children under five years of age die from pneumococcal diseases.