WHAT IS PNEUMONIA?
Pneumonia is an infection & inflammation of the lungs. S. Pneumonia is leading cause of bacterial pneumonia in patients beyond first few weeks of life.
Symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia may include: cough, fatigue/malaise, fever, chest pain, chills, sweats and shortness of breath.
PNEUMONIA IN CHILDREN- INDIAN CONTEXT
Pneumonia is cause of 25% of all child death. 4,10,000 children <5 die of pneumonia every year. If applied in Indian context, it can be said that 1,23,000 to 1,64,000 <5 year children die due to pneumococcal pneumonia.
CAN PNEUMONIA BE PREVENTED?
Children < 5 year (now till 18 years of age) should get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, a common form of bacterial pneumonia.
WHAT IS VACCINE PREVENAR 13?
Prevenar 13 is for active immunisation for prevention of disease caused by Streptococcal pneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F & 23F. These serotypes are cause of sepsis, meningitis (brain infection), bacteraemia, pneumonia and acute otitis media (ear infection).