Bhubaneswar: Government hospitals in the state will start offering Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for infants from Wednesday, months after the Union Budget made provisions for rolling out the prophylactic measure under the government vaccination programme.
The vaccine was earlier available in private health institutions and it had not been included in government vaccination programmes due to high costs. However, some state-run hospitals had offered the vaccine in a pilot project mode.
The state government has upgraded the health infrastructure for mass vaccination and claimed that the inclusion of the PCV in government hospitals is likely to reduce child mortality and check pneumococcal infections among kids.
The vaccine prevents kids from the bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pneumonia (pneumococcus). The bacterium causing pneumonia affects central nervous system, triggers sepsis and infects ear and lung tissues in kids. According to UNICEF, one among six under-five childhood deaths is caused by this pneumococcal infection.
The Health Department Tuesday said that the kids below five years of age, especially those who are below two years, are more prone to the disease while bouts of earlier viral infection and malnourishment can also increase the risk factor among the kids.
According to the immunisation schedule for the PCV, kids below two years need to get the first two primary vaccine doses at 1.5 months (6 weeks since birth) and 3.5 months (14 weeks) respectively while the third dose which is a booster dose needs to be taken in 9 months.
“The state government will launch the PCV from June 30 and it will be available at all levels of government hospitals including Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and others. This is a very safe vaccine. Under the government immunization programme, 10 valent PCV vaccine will be given to the kids,” Bijay Panigrahy, State Health and Family Welfare Director, told Orissa POST.
Panigrahy said the vaccination at government hospitals will be free of cost.
The government has also trained the grassroots workers and healthcare workers for vaccinating the kids. Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers have also been trained to motivate lactating mothers to get their kids vaccinated, sources said.