BHUBANESWAR : The State government on Wednesday rolled out pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) for children below five years as part of the Statewide universal immunisation programme.
Odisha became the sixth state to introduce the new vaccine for children after Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The vaccine will prevent deaths due to pneumonia and meningitis caused by bacteria - streptococcus pneumoniae - that accounts for nearly 16 per cent (pc) of all deaths of children in the age group.
Speaking at the launch, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das said Odisha has always been given priority for providing quality health services for children to reduce both infant and under-five morbidity and mortality. The vaccine will be given to children as part of the routine immunisation schedule.
The first two doses at six weeks and 14 weeks will be combined with oral polio vaccine, ROTA vaccine, pentavalent and the vaccine for feline panleukopenia virus. For the booster dose, the PCV will be given to the child at nine months along with the shots for measles, vitamin A and Japanese encephalitis.
With the addition of PCV, the State will now provide vaccines for 12 vaccine-preventable diseases to protect eight lakh children every year.