[url="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-18/india/30414490_1_pentavalent-vaccine-routine-immunization-meningitis-and-pneumonia"]Five-in-one vaccine to be launched in 2 states next month[/url] : TOI, Nov 18, 2011
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Quote:The much awaited five-in-one vaccine will be rolled out from December.[/indent]
To begin with, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which have high routine immunization coverage rate, will use the pentavalent vaccine in their universal immunization drive.
Six other states - Gujarat, Karnataka, Haryana, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh - have expressed their interest to use the five-in-one vaccine. The ministry will take a final call on allowing these states to roll out pentavalent vaccine over the next few months.
Union health secretary P K Pradhan said the GAVI Alliance - a Geneva-based public-private partnership aimed at improving health in the world's poorest countries - is supplying the pentavalent vaccine to India for free.
"Gavi is giving us vaccines worth Rs 765 crore for three years for 10 states. The consignment will arrive by the end of next month. However, we are first rolling it out in two states. We will decide on the request of the other six states by analyzing their capability to handle adverse effects of vaccination. [color="#9932cc"]{Sure..sure.... indian kids up for clinical trials like what the Gates foundation did with the HPV vaccines}[/color] Most of these states have high routine immunization rates. India will bear the expense for procuring the pentavalent vaccine after three years," Pradhan said.
The introduction of a pentavalent vaccine was recommended by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) on June 16, 2008. The pentavalent vaccine will reduce chances of dropout, will need no additional cold chain space and the number of syringes used will dip as well. India plans to vaccinate 16 lakh children in these two states in the first year.
The five-in-one vaccine will have diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus ( DPT), Hepatitis B and HIB (Haemophilus influenzae type B - the bacterial microorganism that causes several serious childhood illnesses like meningitis and pneumonia). Children will also get their oral polio doses as part of the routine immunization programme.
"We are bringing to India the liquid pentavalent vaccine, which are readymade. It will be a 10-dose package which will prove cheaper since it will require less storage space, lesser volume of cold chain and reduced transportation cost. All children attending the RI rounds will get the pentavalent shot at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. For the first year, we will require over 50 lakh doses," a ministry official said.
"HIB will prevent pneumonia among children. In the under-five mortality, 20% are caused by pneumonia. And one-third of the pneumonia mortality is caused by HIB. The vaccine vials will reach us by end-June, it will be rolled out shortly after that," he added.