The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) is organising a campaign, ‘No More Pneumonia’, in connection with World Pneumonia Day on Sunday, to raise awareness on pneumococcal disease, which is the leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children under five years of age, globally and in India.
The Union Health Ministry introduced pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) of the country in May, which will protect infants and young children against penumococcal diseases caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae..
The vaccine, introduced in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh this year, is being extended to other States in a phased manner.
Request to State
The Thiruvananpuram chapter of the IAP has requested the State government to press the Centre for the introduction of PCV vaccine in UIP in the State next year itself. The IAP also appealed to all parents to ensure that all children were given full immunisation cover under UIP.
The State branch of the IAP has planned to create more awareness on pneumonia and PCV and to take it up as a major programme in 2018.
