Nationwide Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) drive launched

In news:

• Union Health Minister has launched a nationwide expansion of Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) under the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

Why such drive?

• Pneumonia was a leading cause of death among children under five, globally and in India.
• Pneumonia caused by pneumococcus is the most common cause of severe pneumonia in children.
• Around 16% of deaths in children occur due to pneumonia in India.
• The nationwide roll-out of PCV will reduce child mortality by around 60%.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)

• The PCV is a mix of several bacteria of the pneumococci family, which are known to cause pneumonia—hence ‘conjugate’ is included in the name of the vaccine.
• PCV prevents pneumococcal disease. It can protect both children and adults from pneumococcal disease.
• Such conjugate vaccines are made using a combination of two different components.

Pneumonia vs Pneumococcal pneumonia

• Pneumonia is a lung disease.
• Pneumococcal pneumonia, a kind of pneumonia, can infect the upper respiratory tract and can spread to the blood, lungs, middle ear, or nervous system.
• Pneumococcal disease is a name for any infection caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumonia or pneumococcus.
• Most people carry pneumococcus in their nose and throat, where the bacteria do not cause any symptoms.