In news- Andhra Pradesh Government recently launched a Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) drive.
About Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)-
- The PCV is a “safe and effective” vaccine administered in three doses at the age of 6 weeks, 14 weeks, and 40 weeks.
- It is given against a group of diseases caused by a bacterium called Streptococcus Pneumoniae (also known as pneumococcus).
- PCV contains purified capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal serotypes conjugated to a carrier protein to improve antibody response.
- The diseases are:
- Pneumonia: It is a form of acute respiratory infection that causes inflammation or fluid in the lungs. It makes breathing difficult and limits oxygen intake. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi can all cause pneumonia.
- Bacteremia/sepsis: bloodstream infection, with or without infection of secondary sites, e.g., meningitis
- Bacterial meningitis: infection of the membranes that cover and protect the spinal cord and brain
- Otitis media: Middle ear infection
- Antibiotics can treat many forms of pneumonia.
- Pneumonia accounts for nearly 1 million deaths worldwide and is the single largest infectious cause of death among children under five years of age.
- PCV was introduced in India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) in a phased manner from June 2017 onwards.
- PCV has been shown to protect very young children starting at 6 weeks of age when infants are most at risk of infection.
Source: The Hindu
